Rico Barton died in a “bath of blood” at 3am outside a bar in Altrincham, Greater Manchester, on Sunday. 4 Tyson Fury’s cousin Rico Burton died on Sunday morningCredit: SUPPLIED 4 Heavyweight boxing champion has called on the government to do more to tackle knife crimeCredit: Getty Images – Getty 4 Police at the scene after the fatal stabbing in Altrincham, Greater ManchesterCredit: ASP The 31-year-old, a former boxer himself, was reportedly watching Anthony Joshua fight Oleksandr Usyk with friends before he was fatally attacked. Horrified revelers watched as a knife was plunged into his throat in the “senseless” and “unplanned” murder. Violence is said to have broken out as a separate group argued over entry to a pub. According to friend and former trainer Shaun Egan, Rico intervened to break things up, but the men turned on him. Sean, who trained his cousin Tyson alongside his brother Steve at the Jimmy Egan Boxing Academy in Manchester, told MailOnline: ‘From what I heard it was just a fight. “Some other kids were trying to get into a club and they weren’t letting them in. “The argument wasn’t with Rico, he was trying to calm it down. “It was arranged, then suddenly the guy stabbed them. It’s unbelievable, so absurd.” A witness added: “A few men were arguing outside and suddenly two men were on the ground. “It all happened so fast, but no one knows what caused the fight.” Emergency services rushed to the scene in Goose Green and Rico was taken to hospital but died a short time later. A 17-year-old, believed to be his relative, remains in hospital with serious injuries. Police arrested a man, aged 21, at the scene on suspicion of murder before arresting a second man, aged 20, later that morning on suspicion of grievous bodily harm with intent and murder. Greater Manchester Police Chief Constable Ben Ewart described the attack as “spontaneous and unplanned”. He added: “This was undoubtedly a senseless attack and both victims should have returned home after enjoying a night out with friends.”
‘NICE BOY’
Tributes have poured in for Rico, who friends describe as “a lovely lad” and “a fantastic boxer”. Steve Egan, 60, head trainer at the Jimmy Egan Boxing Academy, said he was “devastated” by the news. “He was an absolute talent,” he added. “He was such a nice lad, hardworking and had a great sense of humour.” And in a social media post on Sunday, Tyson called on the government to “impose a higher sentence for knife crime” after his cousin was “stabbed in the throat”. The heavyweight boxing champion wrote on Instagram: “My cousin was murdered last night, stabbed in the neck. “This is getting ridiculous… idiots carrying knives. This has got to stop.” He added: “As soon as possible, the UK Government must introduce higher sentences for knife crime. “It’s a pandemic and you don’t know how bad it is until it’s yours. “Life is too precious and can be taken away too quickly. Enjoy every moment.” Rico’s death comes amid a spate of knife and gun violence across the UK. At least 11 people have been stabbed in England and Wales since last Monday. Shadow Home Secretary Yvette Cooper said last night: “Knife crime destroys lives and destroys families. “This is yet another horrific killing on Britain’s roads. It is becoming a national crisis and we need urgent action before more lives are lost.” 4 Tyson Fury posted that his cousin had been ‘murdered’ on InstagramCredit: tysonfury/Instagram
