Darren Barker has issued an emotional message about Ricky Hatton as he continues his inspiring ‘The Longest Round’ fundraising challenge, in memory of the boxing great.Barker, former IBF world middleweight champion, set off from Edinburgh on Wednesday morning on a mega 1,800-mile endurance challenge to Morocco across land and sea.The challenge sees him cycle from Edinburgh to Dover, swim the English channel (21 miles), cycle from Calais to Gibraltar before he ends off the adventure with an open-water swim across the Strait of Gibraltar into Morocco (nine miles).The challenge will push Barker to the absolute limits, testing him both physically and mentally but he’s determined to complete it for Ricky and ‘for all the people out there suffering’.Barker is raising funds for suicide prevention charity Campaign Against Living Miserably (CALM), in which Hatton had been an ambassador of. Darren Barker is currently on a 1,800-mile endurance challenge in honour of Ricky HattonAnd speaking ahead of the challenge, the 44-year-old said: ‘Last September, I had the honour and the privilege to speak to Ricky Hatton on a podcast. And days later he wasn’t with us, so it really struck home and hit hard. And made me really understand what a terrible illness mental health is. I want to do something for Ricky, I want to do something to spread awareness.’I feel like I owe this to Ricky. He gave up his time to speak to me, so this is something I need to do for him, and I want to do – and I need to do for the bigger picture. I need to do this for all the people out there suffering, to know that it’s OK to not be OK. I want to encourage these people to have these uncomfortable conversations, and hopefully save lives in the future.’He added: ‘He will always be a hero of mine. He was the man that brought the big nights to British boxing. The man that brought the big crowds.’But away from boxing, he was so likeable – he was the man next door – everyone could relate to Ricky. So funny, charming, just a real good guy with a big heart and someone that people could look up to. He is massively missed.’Barker spoke from the heart as he explained what ‘The Longest Round’ and CALM mean to him. Barker spoke to Hatton on a podcast a few days before his friend was found dead at his homeHe continued: ‘It means an awful lot. It means that I, along with the team, and everybody else following this – that we have an opportunity to make a real difference here. This is about changing lives, helping people. This is bigger than swimming and cycling, this is a huge opportunity to try and make a difference, and that’s what I want to do.’You, I guess, go through your early stages of life, being selfish, and you’re on your own journey, trying to fulfil dreams and aspirations to do this and that, and then you kind of – in my situation anyway – achieve that – and it’s about what next. And for me, it feels right to help and just try and raise money and awareness for something now that has really resonated with me.’Even myself as a retired fighter, grieving the loss of boxing, grieving the loss of my brother, my grandad – understanding that grief is a part of mental health. So along with everyone else, this isn’t just me – I may be getting on the bike and in the sea – but this is all of us pulling together and being there for one another. Let’s be nice to one another, let’s be there, let’s support. So much hardship in the world as it is, so if we all pull together – we’re halfway there you know.’Any donations can be made to: https://www.justgiving.com/page/thelongestround