The best British ring walks: Ricky Hatton, Tony Bellew and Josh Warrington
- James Holland
- 27 September 2021
When boxing and soccer collide, it creates some of the most memorable ring walks ever witnessed.
Ring walks are a vital part of boxing. Not only do they start the showdown, they reveal each fighter's intent, confidence and following.
As soccer is so closely partnered with the sport, the two often collide in the form of ring walk songs.
Fighters such as Ricky Hatton, Tony Bellew and Josh Warrington all have ties with their local football teams and use their songs on fight night.
Here, we look at the best soccer-related ring walk songs of recent times.
Ricky Hatton - Blue Moon
"Hitman" is a lifelong Manchester City fan, so it's easy to see why he chose 'Blue Moon' by Supra as his favoured entry song.
The song is part of what made him a fan favourite in the UK. Mancunians sang 'Blue Moon' around the world when following him during his career, which included bouts against Floyd Mayweather Jr, Manny Pacquiao and Kostya Tszyu.
Boxer Ricky Hatton, of England, is introduced before his junior welterweight boxing match against Jose Luis Castillo
'Blue Moon' is a City favourite and has been recorded by artists such as Frank Sinatra, The Supremes and Bob Dylan in years gone by.
The song clearly worked for Hatton, as he won world championships at both light welterweight and welterweight. 'The Hitman' was also named Fighter of the Year by The Ring magazine in 2005.
Josh Warrington - I Predict a Riot
Former featherweight champion Josh Warrington is a massive Leeds United fan, hence the nickname 'The Leeds Warrior'.
Sticking with his West Yorkshire roots, Warrington often walks out to 'I Predict a Riot' by local band Kaiser Chiefs, which has become a sporting hit since its release back in 2005.
The song typifies everything about Warrington's aggressive style, which has seen him defeat Carl Frampton and Lee Selby in recent years.
'I Predict a Riot' sets the tone for most of Warrington's bouts and triggers a wave of support from the fighter's local Leeds United fans.
Warrington has strengthened his name as a Leeds legend by fighting at his beloved Elland Road, the home of Leeds United, and defeating Selby to become world champion in front of 25,000.
Following advice from Anthony Joshua, Warrington is set to return on September 4.
Tony Bellew - Theme from Z-Cars
Bellew's love for Everton Football Club was shown by his favourite ring walk song - the theme from TV show Z-Cars. It's a Goodison Park classic which gets played at every home game on Merseyside.
Bellew held the WBC world cruiserweight belt from 2016 to 2017 and beat David Haye twice during his career, amassing a strong Evertonian following in the process.
He retired in 2018 after losing to Ukraine's Oleksandr Usyk when challenging for the undisputed cruiserweight world championship. However, his record stands at a respectable 30-3-1 (20 KOs).
Tony Bellew is a huge supporter of Everton
Nathan Heaney - Delilah
Stoke's own Nathan Heaney has a big following in his home city and regularly walks out to the Tom Jones classic 'Delilah'.
The soccer club is rumoured to have sung the song since the 1970s. Meanwhile, Heaney has adopted the tune in recent years to show his support for the team.
Heaney is undefeated since turning pro in 2017 and became a continental champion in the super middleweight division in 2020.
'Delilah' is a classic song with strong soccer roots in Stoke which is now making its way onto the boxing scene through Heaney.
Lewis Ritson - Toon Barmy Army
British fighter Lewis Ritson is a hero in his hometown of Newcastle, which is a relationship formed by his love for the local team.
Ritson's ring walk involves the famous Geordie chant 'Toon Toon Barmy Army' which pays homage to the fighter's favourite team.
His local fans cheered him to victory against Robbie Davies Jr. in 2019 at the Newcastle Arena and more recently in defeat to Jeremias Ponce.
Lewis Ritson tasted the second defeat of his career to Jeremais Ponce [Mark Robinson/Dave Thompson/Matchroom Boxing]
David Price - You'll Never Walk Alone
Another fighter whose Merseyside roots have dictated his ring walk is heavyweight David Price, who walks out to Liverpool FC's signature song 'You'll Never Walk Alone'.
The tune was originally written in 1945. It became a staple at Anfield in the 1960s after a cover version was released by local band Gerry & The Pacemakers.
However, Price's career as a professional has not been as successful as Jurgen Klopp's side in recent years.
His last fight was a TKO loss against British rival Dereck Chisora and it is unknown as to whether we will see him in the ring again.
A cross-sport tradition
Soccer and boxing seem to have a close relationship, and one which is only growing stronger.
Current and past world champions have notably used football songs as their ring walk anthems, which has helped to set up some electric bouts.
With Warrington set to fight Mauricio Lara at Headingley Stadium, you can expect fans in attendance to be belting their heart out to 'I Predict a Riot'.
