Two Manchester icons come together at Hansons Auctioneers’ upcoming sale when a signed pair of Ricky Hatton’s shorts given to his close friend Liam Gallagher go under the hammer.
The sequined pair, expected to fetch £4,000, were made for The Hitman’s winning fight against Juan Lazcano in May 2008 at the City of Manchester Stadium in front of a record 55,000 fans.
At Hatton’s next clash later that year, against Paulie Malignaggi in Las Vegas, the Gallagher brothers carried his championship belts while walking him into the ring.
Hatton, who died in September aged 46, later recalled the experience as one of the highlights of his career.
Charles Hanson said: “Ricky Hatton and Noel Gallagher are both Mancunian heroes sharing a friendship that bridged the worlds of music and sport. Like Noel Ricky was a fan of Manchester City – hence the blue shorts – and passionate about their hometown. They were both immensely proud of their working-class roots, both grew up on a council houses, which endeared them to an army of fans. Theirs was a genuine friendship based on huge respect and shared experience.”
Hatton once said that as a child he wanted to “be a boxing world champion, support Man City and listen to Oasis.”
The shorts, signed “To Noel, Best Wishes, Ricky Hatton” and featuring the Hatton H and Manchester City badges, are expected to make up to £4,000 at Hansons Auctioneers’ sale on December 11.
They were consigned for sale Oasis superfan Jack Annals from West Sussex whose love of the band dates from the age of 12 when he used their songbook to teach himself the guitar.
Today an entire room of the 32-year-old’s Chichester home is given over to Oasis memorabilia including handwritten lyrics, records and ticket stubs.
Jack who works for a DIY chain, bought the shorts in 2018 at an auction on behalf of Little People UK, the charity cofounded by Warwick Davis.
He said: “I followed Ricky’s career but for me it was the Oasis connection that did it. I have loved the band most of my life. My dad used to play them a bit, but it was when I started to learn how to play the guitar that I really discovered their music.”
James, who established the shorts authenticity from Hatton’s team directly, continued: “Looking at the condition of the shorts it appears they may have been made as an extra pair for Ricky as they seem to be in far too good condition to have been fight worn.”
After the boxer’s death Noel revealed the depth of their friendship to talkSPORT letting slip how the brothers had fought over which one of them would carry the belts.
He said: “We were up at City and he said he was fighting in Vegas and he just asked us straight out ‘will you carry the belts out?’
“We said yeah of course and of course me and our kid (Liam) got into an argument about who was going to carry what belt, which went on for about four weeks.”
He continued: “But it was an amazing experience, an amazing night to be in the ring. It was a great fight and he won.
“He was just one of the lads. I’ll remember him as a funny lad, we had a funny night out with him after that we were all out in Vegas, him and his mates.
“The image of him as the wise cracking lad, that was him! He always had a one-liner and he will be sorely missed because he was such a lovely, humble guy.”
Over his career Hatton, one of the Britain’s best-loved boxers, built up a huge Mancunian army of fans to whom he was the ‘people’s champion’.
He captured world titles at light-welterweight and welterweight, highlighted by his landmark 2005 victory over Kostya Tszyu.
Though he suffered notable defeats to elite champions Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Manny Pacquiao, his fearlessness earned him worldwide respect.
The shorts have an estimate of £2,000-£4,000 at Hansons Auctioneers’ two-day sale on December 11-12 at its Etwall saleroom.
Auction Details
Auction: The Derbyshire Two-Day Christmas Fine Jewels & Decorative Arts and Antiques Auction
Auction date: 11th-12th December 2025 | 9:30am
Location: Hansons’ Derbyshire Saleroom
Auction contact: [email protected]
Catalogue/bidding: www.hansonslive.co.uk | www.the-saleroom.com
