Ricky Hatton has opened up about his suicidal thoughts and labelled his boxing return against Vyacheslav Senchenko as a "comeback in life".
Hatton will fight the Ukrainian on 24 November at the Manchester Arena in what will be his first bout since he was defeated my Manny Pacquiao in 2009.
And in a documentary ahead of his comeback, he recalls in haunting detail how he considered self-harming.
“One of me sparring partners , he was only a lightweight, he knocked me down … and I was just sobbing and sobbing and sobbing … this is 12 days before the Manny Pacquiao fight," Hatton said.
Ricky Hatton Training
“I tortured myself, I know I can do it, I can come back, I can give it one more go and the truth of it was I couldn’t. My girlfriend would come home from work and just find me sat there crying with a knife at my wrist."
“Everything I’ve been through, walking round at 15 stone, falling out with my trainer, falling out with my family, all the stuff in the papers. It is not a comeback in boxing, it’s a comeback in life”
After spending time in rehab to tackle his issues, the 34-year-old boxer is looking ahead to the 48th fight of his career this Saturday.
The Hitman has only lost two of his 47 brawls, both coming at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas against Floyd Mayweather Jr. in 2007 and Pacquiao.
Ricky Hatton: The Comeback tonight at 12.45am on Channel 5