Boxer Ricky Hatton ‘breaks 14 day quarantine’ as he enjoys pints at his local pub

Retired boxer Ricky Hatton was seen ‘breaking 14-day quarantine’ while enjoying pints at the pub ‘less than two weeks after coming back from Tenerife’. 

The former world champion was pictured having drinks with friends at The Grapes Restaurant, Gee Cross Hyde on September 13. 

Mr Hatton, from Stockport, Greater Manchester, is believed to have returned from Tenerife between September 1 and 4, meaning the afternoon outing would have been in violation of quarantine rules, if this is so. 

Holidaymakers returning to England from many overseas countries, including Spain, are required to self-isolate for 14 days upon their arrival.   

This is because it can take up to 14 days for coronavirus symptoms to appear.    

In England, those who do not self-isolate can be fined £1,000. Those who do not provide accurate contact details can face a charge of up to £3,200.

Mr Hatton had visited the south coast of Tenerife in the Canary Islands for a holiday with his family in August. 

On September 1 he had posted a a picture of himself at the island’s Restaurant 88 to his Instagram account, revealing the area’s 26C weather and ‘great view’. 

If Mr Hatton was still in Tenerife on September 1, that would mean his September 13 pub trip was in violation of the 14-day quarantine rule. 

A representative of Mr Hatton has been contacted for comment.  

Mr Hatton, known as ‘The Hitman’, had earlier this year said he has no regrets about his lifestyle during the final days of his professional boxing career.

The four-time world champion had retired in November 2012 after his loss to Vyacheslav Senchenko, holding an overall record of 45 wins and three defeats from 48 fights.

During his boxing career, Hatton would make jokes about the way he ballooned between fights and would have to shed 40lbs to get in shape for each bout due to his unhealthy diet.

However, in May 2020 Hatton said he ‘wouldn’t change a thing’ over the way he went about his day-to-day life – claiming that if he took everything so seriously and went to bed at seven every night, he wouldn’t have had the ‘following’ he did. 

Hatton, who now trains fighters and is a valued member inside Tyson Fury’s fight-night dressing room, told the Telegraph: ‘I think boxing events, sports events, pubs and bars – anything with large gatherings – they’ll be the last to come back. I’ve told my fighters to do a little bit of training. 

‘If the minute it does get lifted you’re halfway there in terms of fitness, you’ve got a better chance of getting a fight. If you’re coming in stones overweight into the gym like I used to do you’re not going to get one.

‘Even though I was able to get away with it, people knew it wasn’t good for me. I probably could have got more out of myself performance-wise and maybe even a few more years if I’d lived the life better and looked after my body more. 

‘But if you asked me would I change anything about it? I wouldn’t change a thing because that’s what it was.

‘I was fat and went to the pub, but I had the fan base. If I had gone to bed at seven every night like a Buddhist monk, I don’t think I would have had the following. As for training, that’s what I tell all my fighters. Bed at 7pm. Do as I say, not as I do.’