Hero my arse

So the back page of yesterday's Daily Mail carried the headline "Fallen Hero" referencing Ricky Hatton's loss to Floyd Mayweather in Sunday's world championship boxing match.

Let's be clear about something. He's no hero. Heroes are soldiers who run out into enemy gunfire to rescue wounded colleagues. Heroes are firefighters who return to burning buildings time after time to rescue people. Heroes can even be everyday run-of-the-mill people like you and me who put themselves at extraordinary risk for the welfare of others.

Boxers are not heroes. Boxers are sportsmen - the top echelon of whom are paid millions of pounds, win or lose, to step inside the ring.

What's heroic about that?