"Sad I never got the chance to meet him" - Luke Littler pays tribute to massive darts fan Ricky Hatton after shock passing of British boxing icon

The news of the sudden death of boxing legend Ricky Hatton, last Sunday at the age of 46, hit the British sports world like a bomb. Luke Littler has now also expressed his shock at the loss of a sportsman he never met in person, but who inspired him.

Hatton, nicknamed "Hitman," was found dead Sunday morning at his home in Hyde after he failed to show up at a boxing event the night before. The former world boxing champion, known for his no-nonsense style and enormous popularity, became an icon far beyond his own sport.

For Littler, who grew up in Warrington, just a short hour's drive from Hatton's hometown, his death feels like a great loss to the British sports community.

During an event in Manchester, at the opening of a pop-up store by dart manufacturer Target, Littler spoke about his memories of Hatton. The 18-year-old star said he regularly looked back at old fights.

“What I do, when I’m bored at night, I just go through old boxing fights and stuff like that and then my dad was talking about it. The fight against Pacquiao and Mayweather where he’s winning it. The ref was splitting it up," Littler told the Daily Star. “Even when we found out, I think Chris Dobey and Ross Smith, they both said he was a proper lad. I think they said he was at the Matchplay years and years on the run, but I never got the chance to meet him. It is sad.”

Ricky Hatton was known for his enormous charm, bravado and ability to get a crowd behind him - traits that Luke Littler now displays in the darts world. At the World Series of Darts Finals in Amsterdam, Littler felt the full force of the partisan Dutch crowd, which was massively behind their hero Michael van Gerwen. Van Gerwen eventually won 11-7 and took his first major title in two years.

Despite the defeat, Littler again showed that he is feared not only for his arrows, but also for his charisma and bravado. One of his tactics was to briefly walk away from the oche to quietly take a sip of water, much to the annoyance of the rabid home fans. “Yeah, it’s just whatever I do on stage, that’s just for myself. It gives me a bit of confidence," he explained. "When I was swilling my water, that was for the fans, it wasn’t for me. I was just trying to get under their skin a bit."