Hatton, 38, has spoken out on his own plight having attempted suicide several times and turned to drink and drugs following defeats to Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather, a situation which worsened with a comeback loss to Vyacheslav Senchenko in 2012.
The loveable ‘Hitman’ has always been adored by the UK boxing fans but sees a different scenario happening with compatriot Tyson Fury who has been the subject of a torrent of abuse from his homeland.
Despite winning the top division crown from Wladimir Klitschko just last year, Fury has gone down a similar path to Hatton – resulting in his clutch of titles being taken away amidst rumours the 27 year-old may never be in the right state of mind to fight again.
“I contacted him to see if he was all right and I never got a reply,” Hatton told BBC Radio 4.
“Tyson is a very complex person. When he said what he said it was heartbreaking.
“To think Tyson had become the heavyweight champion of the world and should kick on with his life and his career and for it to go pear-shaped was a real crying shame. Having said that, he doesn’t help himself in some interviews.”
Asked if he believed Tyson could make a full recovery, Hatton added: “From my point of view, having not spoken to him, I don’t know how poorly or how bad he is. He might just be Tyson being Tyson.
“But if he is in a bad place and is depressed, I hope he’s speaking to the right people in order to sort it out.
“As boxers, we don’t do that. We think, ‘I’m Ricky Hatton or I’m Tyson Fury, I can take on the world’. You can take on the world in the ring but this problem called depression, you can’t take it on.
“We’re out of our comfort zones with depression. I certainly was and whenever I have bad days now I speak to someone to get it off my chest.
“I have no shame telling that and that’s why I’m here today,” he pointed out.
