Ricky Hatton?s former trainer has been charged with sexually assaulting a girl under the age of 16.
Bob Shannon, 59, helped prepare Hatton for his comeback fight against Vyacheslav Senchenko in November 2012, which the former two-weight world champion lost and promptly retired.
The Manchester-based trainer?s stable includes Hatton?s brother, Matthew, the European welterweight champion, and fighters who have won British and European titles.
Shannon landed a three-fight deal to train Hatton through his ill-fated comeback after guiding Matthew Hatton to a world title shot. But when The Hitman lost to Senchenko, Shannon lost his marquee fighter.
Recently, his most high-profile boxer has been welterweight Denton Vassell, who fought and lost in a British welterweight title eliminator last September.
Shannon?s charge came after a report a girl had been sexually assaulted last June.
?Robert Shannon of Derbyshire was charged with sexual assault and due before Manchester and Salford Magistrates on 22 April 2015,? said a police statement.
Hatton became British boxing?s biggest star when he became light-welterweight world champion after an epic victory over Kostya Tszyu in 2005.
The larger-than-life character went on to win the welterweight world title, under the tutelage of long-term trainer Billy Graham.
Hatton?s weight fluctuations between fights eventually caught up with him and he lost super-fights against Floyd Mayweather in 2007 and Manny Pacquiao two years later, before retiring for the first time.
He turned to Shannon to guide his comeback in 2012 but the Senchenko defeat was their only fight together.
