Ricky Hatton has officially called time on his glorious ring career.

The Hitman has finally decided give up on any dreams of a dramatic return to boxing – despite numerous offers to pull the gloves on for one last time.

The 33-year-old former two-weight champion confirmed his decision on Thursday, which will not come as a major surprise to his army of fans.

He said: "I am very upset. It's a very sad day for me.

"I know it is the right decision though. I've known it was the right thing to do for 18 months to be honest.

"It's a bit of a relief to finally do it. It's been hovering over my head for such a long time.

"These last two years have been really frustrating. I hit rock bottom and it almost drove me insane.

"There's nothing more I love than training for a fight but I have no dreams left now."

The news finally ends speculation of Hatton mounting a comeback, which has been mooted ever since his brutal second round knockout by pound-for-pound world No 1 Manny Pacquiao in 2009.

The Hyde hero has agonised over the prospect of one last tilt at glory since that painful clash at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.

He admitted last year that he had struggled to come to terms with only the second defeat of his career.

He announced at the start of 2010 that he wanted to go out on a winning note, planning a return to the ring last summer.

But despite offers of mega-money clashes with superstar names like lightweight king Juan Manuel Marquez and former three-weight champion Erik Morales, it became increasingly clear that Hatton’s fighting days were behind him.

Conquer

His career hit an all-time low last September when he was stripped of his boxing licence and admitted to the Priory for treatment for drink and depression.

The Hitman was also the subject of a tabloid expose which appeared to show him sniffing a white powder.

Despite those revelations, however, Hatton remains among Britain’s all-time favourite sportsmen – and one of its most successful. His 2005 victory over pound-for-pound great Kostya Tszyu at the MEN Arena earned him the IBF light-welterweight title and set him on course for world domination.

He collected the WBA crown with victory over Carlos Maussa before heading off to conquer America. He defeated Luis Collazo in Boston to become a two-weight world champion as WBA welterweight king.

The first of his many unforgettable Las Vegas nights came with victory over Juan Urango in 2007 to add the IBO light-welterweight strap to his bulging collection.

The biggest fight of his career came later that year when his WBC welterweight clash with Floyd Mayweather Jr became one of the most eagerly anticipated bouts of all-time, with a global television revenue estimated to be in excess of £60m.

But Hatton tasted defeat for the first time as a professional, being stopped in the 10th round.

He returned to action with a homecoming in front of around 50,000 fans at his beloved Manchester City’s Eastlands stadium in 2008 – defeating Juan Lazcano on points to retain his IBO title.

Victory against Paulie Malignaggi then set up another pound-for-pound super clash with Pacquiao in May 2009.

But his hopes of becoming No 1 were brutally ended by the Pacman, when knocked out cold after only two rounds.

Hatton has spent the past two years refusing to confirm his retirement, which has only led to increased speculation that he could return for one last hurrah.

He has gone on to build a successful promotions business, representing some of Britain’s most exciting boxers. He led brother, Matthew, to the European welterweight crown, as well as securing him two world title shots.

Anthony Crolla has become British lightweight champion – and in September is set to take on Morales on the undercard of Mayweather’s own comeback against Victor Ortiz.

Olympian Joe Murray is also under Hatton’s guidance, along with British and Commonwealth middleweight champion Martin Murray.

Craig Watson became British welterweight champion thanks to Hatton, Denton Vassell won the Commonwealth belt at the same weight and Scott Quigg is on the verge of a world title shot at super-bantamweight.

He also helped Matthew Macklin land the European middleweight crown, while another of his fighters, Gary Sykes, won Prizefighter.

In his personal life, Hatton has enjoyed spending time with his son Campbell, while girlfriend Jennifer Dooley is expecting their first child together.

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