British Boxer Ricky Hatton’s alleged drug abuse
Another celebrity, another drug scandal! If you thought that only Hollywood celebrities lived luxurious and indulgent lives, you were very wrong. There is very little to separate the world of Hollywood and the world of professional sport. Tinseltown has paparazzi cataloguing everything anyone in the industry has ever done, or will do. The world of sports is not far behind; it’s just that it might have a less gossip worthy audience. It’s likely that the public won’t devour a sportsperson’s scandalous life with the same tenacity that they would devour the indiscretions of Hollywood celebrities. One of the biggest scandals in the world of sport these days is Ricky Hatton’s drug problem.
Hatton is a former International Boxing Federation (IBF) and International Boxing Organization (IBO) light welterweight champion. He has had a total of 47 fights and won 45 of them. The 31 year old Brit, who began professional boxing in 1997, put his career on a long hiatus after he lost to Manny Pacquiao. Pacquiao is a seven-division world champion boxer. The Filipino has won nine world titles in seven different weight divisions and the lineal championship in four different weight classes.
In the recent News of the World expose, Hatton was caught snorting cocaine and drinking on tape. The paper failed to provide information on how it obtained the video or the when and who’s surrounding the controversy as well. The tabloid’s allegations led to a series of revelations which are still underway. Max Clifford, Hatton’s spokesman, told the Press Association that the former welterweight champ has been suffering from severe depression. He said, “Ricky's father has already been talking to the specialists over the last few weeks… The drugs are quite recent and not actually the problem when we're talking about degrees.”
In a comment to the Sun, Hatton’s mother cited his loss to Pacquiao in May 2009 as the point where his “life went out of control”. Clifford also relates Hatton’s misdemeanours to his having been out of the limelight, "I've worked with major stars for 45 years and suddenly, when you're not world champion, it can be very difficult to adjust.”
The drug use may be new but the on-hiatus boxer is infamous for his drinking and partying into the wee hours of the night.
In an effort to change, 13th September saw the boxer checking into a rehab facility called The Priory.
In his defence the boxer said, “I’ve been in a bad place for some time. It's all down to me. I feel I have let everyone down especially all my fans in the country who have always supported me… I know I've got to make it better. I've now got the biggest fight of my life”
Hatton’s alleged cocaine use may lead to a ban from boxing. Furthermore it may mean a huge financial loss for the boxer who has signed some of Britain’s most promising fighters and staged various shows around the country. The former two-weight world champ may lose his promoter’s license as a consequence of the claims against him. The British Boxing Board of Control has maintained a very firm stance on the issue and will not tolerate Hatton’s alleged behaviour. Consequently the board is pressing for a meeting with the IBF title holder as soon as possible.
The world of boxing is not new to such allegations, nor is it unfamiliar with them being proven true. Some of the welterweight champ’s supporters believe that he may be able to recover from this and return to boxing. Whether Hatton checking into rehab actually means a new leaf for the boxer is of course up for debate.
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