Campbell Hatton reveals son of British boxing legend took him under his wing following harsh fan backlash over AJ fight

CAMPBELL HATTON revealed he took advice from a fellow son of a legend to help him cope with the heavy second generation burden. Hatton – the eldest child of the late British boxing great Ricky – came under fire after he was awarded a controversial win against Sonni Martinez. Campbell Hatton in his September 2021 win over Sonni Martinez Credit: Getty Hatton on SunSport’s Corner Talk podcast Credit: Youtube / Sun Boxing It was just his fourth bout – yet on Anthony Joshua’s undercard in 2021 – and unfair for such a novice to have been put under those bright pay-per-view lights. Conor Benn, son to two-weight world champ Nigel, had to overcome similar fan backlash during the early novice years of his pro career. Sign up for the Sport newsletter Thank you! Watch the latest SunSport video series And Benn reached out to Hatton to offer up his first-hand advice. Hatton said on SunSport’s Corner Talk podcast: “He’s one of the few people who’ve been in the same boat as me with that. “And he was a massive help for me when I turned pro. “He invited me down, it was just after that Tottenham fight where I think he’s probably watched that and thought, ‘They’re taking the p*** a bit here.’ “It’s like they’re chucking him in and my performance showing the effects of it. “But he invited me down to spend a couple of days with him at Tony’s [Sims] gym and I took him up on it. Most read in Sport “I did a few runs with him, did a few sessions and he gave me a lot of good advice. “Matthew [Hatton] was good as well because Matthew knows what it’s like to be in my dad’s shadow and have to break out of it. BEST FREE BETS AND BETTING SIGN UP OFFERS The Home of Boxing in 2026 There's a massive year of boxing ahead! It’s shaping up to be a blockbuster year of action inside the boxing ring. The Gypsy King has beaten Mariusz Wach in his second fight of the year to set up a huge fight with Anthony Joshua And AJ did the same, knocking out Kristian Prenga in the second round of a thrilling encounter – the Brit was knocked down twice in the opening round. Now fans are looking forward to Moses Itauma’s return for his toughest fight yet against Filip Hrgovic in August. Here’s all the big fights coming up… August Sat 15 – Claressa Shields vs Kaye Scott – DAZN Sat 29 – Moses Itauma vs Filip Hrgovic – DAZN September Sat 12 – Conor Benn vs Ryan Garcia – DAZN *If you click a link in this boxout, we will earn affiliate revenue. “And I got a lot of good advice off him. But like I say, Conor, he didn’t have to do any of that. “And not only did he not have to do that, he didn’t do it and tell anyone. “I think you see a lot of people help you out and then quick to get a phone out and let everyone know how good of a bloke they are. “But there was none of that, he just did it behind closed doors because he wanted to.” Benn, 29, now challenges for the WBC welterweight world title against American champ Ryan Garcia, 28, on September 12 in Las Vegas. Nigel Benn with his son Conor Credit: Getty Campbell Hatton with his late dad Ricky Credit: Getty Meanwhile Hatton is set to return to boxing this year after announcing his retirement in July 2025 – just three months before the passing of dad Ricky aged 46. The 25-year-old has signed with Misfits Boxing – the home to celebrity-style crossover bouts and due to debut this December. Hatton said: “It’s a good opportunity for me to get back into the sport and back training and things like that. “But have a bit of fun with it and the pressure is not the same. It’s like it’s a different crowd from the boxing world. “And I know they’ve got the Misfits Pro as well, which I spoke about with Mams [Taylor] and Nisse [Sauerland]. “And I said, that’s something I am interested in. We’re going to do the Misfits first or take it each fight as they come. “But I definitely have my eye on that as well. I don’t necessarily see my boxing journey ending with Misfits.” Comment now