ITV to premiere new Ricky Hatton documentary

ITV to premiere new Ricky Hatton documentary

ITV will show a new documentary featuring unprecedented access to Ricky Hatton as he makes a comeback for his last ever fight, for the first time on British television.

Produced by Ad Hoc Films, Night Of The Fight: Hatton's Last Stand will run on ITV4 in the autumn and is a raw, at times brutal account of events surrounding his final professional bout in Manchester against Vyacheslav Senchenko.

The film features close-quarters access to Ricky, his team and his immediately family with exclusive scenes from training and ringside on fight night. Cameras are allowed into Ricky's home, to the dressing room before and immediately after the fight, bringing viewers a unique personal and professional insight into one of boxing's most colourful characters at a key moment in his life and career.

Ad Hoc's previous work includes the Grierson Award-shortlisted documentary The Four Year Plan, which went behind the scenes at Queens Park Rangers.

ITV's Director of Sport Niall Sloane says: I'm delighted ITV is giving a television premiere to this unique insight into Ricky Hatton, whose triumphs and personality turned him into a British sporting icon. The levels of access the film-makers have managed to get mean viewers are in for a treat as they see up-close the compelling story behind his return to the ring.

Ricky Hatton says: "My comeback was an incredible journey and the boys at Ad Hoc Films have captured the emotion, blood, sweat and tears perfectly. I had demons to fight inside and outside the ring, to get my body back battle-hardened after so many years out, to shed masses of weight and do all this knowing that defeat could send me back to a place that nearly cost me my life. But that emotional night in Manchester made me realise more than winning a boxing match was at stake. This was my redemption."

Producer Daniel Glynn says: This film truly reveals a side to Ricky people have never seen before. It's raw, honest and emotional film-making that will appeal to a wide audience, not just sports fans. It really was a privilege to have had such incredible access to Ricky and quite courageous on his part, allowing our cameras to document this important moment in his personal and professional life. I'm delighted that ITV is supporting the film and are giving it the audience it deserves.

Director Mat Hodgson says: There are few sporting icons as complex and interesting as Ricky and no sport can expose an individual quite like boxing can. The combination of the two make for fascinating documentary. When making sport documentary the tendency is to believe without victory the film fails to deliver. The process of making this made me realize differently and hopefully this will be as close to uplifting as sport and documentary can be within the context of a defeat.

The documentary's release coincides with the publication of Rickys new autobiography by Pan Macmillan publishing.

LINK:	http://www.itv.com/presscentre/press-releases/itv-premiere-new-ricky-h...
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