6 months ago
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British legends Jane Couch and Ricky Hatton have officially been inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame.
The former world champions were honoured on Sunday in Canastota, New York.
Couch, 55, and 45-year-old Hatton join icons such as Muhammad Ali and Floyd Mayweather in receiving the accolade.
Fleetwood-born Couch was the first British woman to be inducted and only the 10th woman on the 'modern' list.
"I've got a habit of being the first, haven't I?" she previously told BBC Sport.
Joining the Britons in the 2024 class were American Michael Moorer, Mexico's Ana Maria Torres, Puerto Rican Ivan Calderon and American two-weight world champion Diego Corrales, who died in 2007 aged 29 in a motorcycle accident.
Couch retired from a trailblazing career with 28 wins and 11 losses, winning world titles at light-welterweight and was the first woman to be licensed to box professionally in the UK.
Aged 27, Couch took the British Boxing Board of Control to court to force them to license her, which ended a ban on women fighting in the country.
"It's a bit surreal really - I mean there's Ali, [Joe] Frazier in there," she said. "It takes a while to sink in. When you look at women's boxing in the UK, well I suppose I did do it [have a huge impact].
"I just realised how hard I did work and had to travel abroad to do it as well. A lot of the decisions that could have gone my way if I was at home.
"I was a bit of a warrior, stubborn, I just wanted to make a difference and I certainly did that.
"But 39 pro fights, five world titles, the MBE and now the Hall of Fame - wow."
Hatton joined close friend Couch in the United States to attend the ceremony.
The Manchester native won world titles at light-welterweight and welterweight and was undefeated in 43 fights before his encounter with Mayweather in 2007.
Hatton lost that bout, but is regarded as one of the best, and most popular, boxers England has ever produced.
He retired with 45 wins and just three defeats on his record.
The 2024 inductees were decided by the Boxing Writers Association of America and an international panel of boxing historians.
