Dad says Hatton feels he let fans down

Former boxing champion Ricky Hatton's losses led to his alcohol abuse, his father Ray told Sky Sports Wednesday.

Ricky Hatton was admitted to a clinic on Monday having battled with alcohol and severe depression for several weeks, according to his spokesman Max Clifford.

The 31-year-old two-weight world champion was filmed by the News Of The World taking a substance believed to be cocaine.

Ray Hatton revealed the boxer had always felt like he'd let his fans down when he suffered defeats, leading to him drinking more and more.

"It's a massive fight he's got on his hands. He showed a lot of bravery, and his family and fans will be behind him," Ray Hatton said.

"With Ricky, he always wanted to please everybody -- not just his family, but all the fans. When he had defeats, he just felt like he'd let them down and he got more and more depressed, which led him to drink more and more.

"It led him to drink and despair. He said to us: 'I've let everybody down, including you and the fans, I need a drink to lift my head up' -- and it's just gone from there."