Campbell Hatton Quits Boxing at 24 as Ricky Hatton Reveals Heartbreaking Reason Behind Exit
In a shock move, Campbell Hatton has officially stepped away from boxing at just 24 years old — a decision that has stunned fans and left his father, ring legend Ricky Hatton, deeply emotional.
After just four years in the professional ranks, Hatton Jr has called time on a career that many believed would mirror his father’s iconic rise. With 14 wins from 16 fights, the young Manchester fighter had shown flashes of promise. But two consecutive defeats last year dealt a blow he seemingly couldn’t recover from.
His pro journey began in 2021. He burst onto the scene with a wave of expectation, not least because of his famous surname. He climbed through the ropes on some of the sport’s biggest stages — undercards for Anthony Joshua vs Oleksandr Usyk and Derek Chisora vs Joseph Parker among them.
But the momentum didn’t last. Campbell was beaten on points twice by James Flint — fights that were close, gritty, and tough to call. The first was a title bout for the Central-Area super-lightweight belt. The second, a swift rematch, ended similarly.
And then, life hit even harder outside the ring. Speaking to Boxing Now, Ricky Hatton opened up in raw and emotional detail about the toll boxing and personal loss took on his son. “Campbell won’t be fighting again,” Ricky said.
“He didn’t have a lot of amateur experience. He gave it a go in the amateurs and then went pro.”
“He fought for the area title and got beat, (which) I thought he lost to be fair.”
“He then fought the same lad again straight after and I thought he won that one. But he didn’t get the decision, they were both very close fights.”
But boxing wasn’t the only battle Campbell was fighting. “He lost a little bit of his mojo then he had a few things (that went) wrong. He sadly lost one of his best mates Justin who passed away at 27 years of age.
“He went through a bit of a time. He was in the gym but he lost his mojo and his heart wasn’t in it.”
Ricky, known for his no-nonsense, heartfelt approach both in and out of the ring, gave his son the advice only a veteran of the sport could deliver.
“I said: ‘Listen son, you should be very proud of yourself, you gave it a go’.
“But I also said: ‘If you have lost your mojo, you need to get out of this game. You can play at any other sport but you can’t play at boxing’.”
Campbell has since taken a new path in life, swapping the gloves for graft, now working in the solar energy sector.
“He’s now doing solar panels. He has gone into another job and is a grafter.” “He gave it (boxing) a go but it just wasn’t for Campbell.”
It’s not the fairytale ending many had hoped for. But in a brutal sport like boxing, walking away on your own terms is a victory in itself.
And for Campbell Hatton, there’s no shame in that.
