We introduce today a generously gifted sportsman by the name of Matthew Hatton. In his teens he was on the books of Oldham Athletic Football Club; when he was 17 he was playing senior cricket for Hyde and once scored 139 not out against Sale before taking five wickets; and tomorrow he will attempt to win a world title in his preferred sport of boxing.

By any reasonable measure, this indicates a young man who is genetically blessed, yet he has spent his professional career — maybe most of his sporting life — being told not what he is but what he is not.

What he is not is his brother. He does not box with the same style as his brother and, as he happily acknowledges, he is not as good as his brother. “Yet,” he adds. That “yet” is important.

It used to drive their mother, Carol, nuts, especially when Matthew and Ricky would compete consecutively in the same ring on the same night, both putting their bodies on the line. One would be hailed as a superstar, the other would be largely ignored.

No real surprise there and Carol accepted that this was the way of human nature. Less acceptable, though, is what you see written about him on boxing websites. Just being Matthew Hatton — not being Ricky — is so offensive to some that it is a crime.

So it takes a certain resilience of personality to have got to where he has — to the Fenton Manor Sports Complex, Stoke, on Friday, when he will box Lovemore N’dou, the veteran from Australia, for the IBO world welterweight title. Even N’dou has joined the chorus, calling Hatton a “donkey”.

Hatton seems not remotely bothered. Ricky, at 31 his elder brother by three years, said: “He is a prime example: never take your eyes off the prize.”

Matthew is a young man trying to make the best of his talent. Others may see his limitations; he sees tomorrow’s bout as the ultimate fulfilment. Different career paths have perpetuated the impression of one brother in the fast lane, the other going slow.

Ricky fought 80 amateur bouts, so he was ready to take the professional ranks by storm. Matthew liked his football and cricket, committing himself to boxing at 16, and turned professional after only 20 amateur bouts.

He therefore did a lot of his learning as a pro. And when he lost — as he did four times — natural conclusions were drawn. “People have always asked, ‘Do you compare yourself to Ricky?’ ” he said. “But I don’t. I’m quite a strong person mentally. I suppose I’ve had to be. Everyone has their knockers, but being Ricky’s brother, people have criticised me even more. If I hadn’t been strong, I could have just thought, ‘I don’t need this.’ ”

Ricky said: “In the early days, when Matt lost a couple of six-rounders he said to me, ‘If I’m losing six-rounders, I’m not going anywhere.’ ”

Not strictly true, because being Ricky’s brother did have advantages. When Ricky boxed, Matthew often competed on the undercard, in places such as the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. This has drawn accusations that he was the silver-spoon boxer, but the accusations meant little; it was a different, internal battle he was fighting.

“People say, ‘Do you feel pressure going into fights being Ricky’s brother?’ But I can honestly say no,” he said. “The pressure is the pressure I put on myself. I used to let my performances get me down. Even when I was winning fights, I’d never be happy. I’d dwell too much on my mistakes and they’d get me further and further down. That affected my performances and my confidence was low. I knew what I was capable of and I used to wonder why it wasn’t happening.

“Not being like Ricky? It used to bother me a bit, but it’s never been a big issue. I’m always so proud of what Ricky has achieved. I’ve never tried to emulate him. People comparing never overly bothered me. What bothered me was when I wasn’t boxing well.”

Matthew believes that he has been boxing better since changing trainers 18 months ago, and he will not get a better benchmark than the one provided by his brother. “I’ve done loads of sparring with Rick,” he said. “Neither of us has ever put the other down. I’d get second prize most of the time, but I’ve been catching him up.”

He knows that he is not and never will be the same thrilling, aggressive boxer as Ricky. Beating N’dou tomorrow, though, would suffice. “If he does it, he’ll have earned the right not to be known as Ricky’s little brother any more,” Ricky said. “And it’ll be as proud a day for me as any I’ve had.”

And for Matthew, too, even if it is not enough for others. He said. “If I become world champion, if someone came up to me and said, ‘Well, you’re not as good as your brother’, hand on heart, I honestly wouldn’t give a toss.”

Sibling rivalries can provide healthy competition but only if parents spread their love

Having a successful sibling can put a daunting pressure on the younger brother or sister, but it can also create a healthy competitive environment in which both thrive.

The important thing, according to Phil Johnson, a sports psychologist specialising in football and equestrianism, is that the parents spread their love.

“There are many examples of successful siblings in sport,” Johnson said. “The Charltons and Nevilles in football or the Whitakers in showjumping come to mind. In those cases, their parents built a positive culture of sport within the family. The Whitakers were known as Team Whitaker for the way they worked for each other.

“I am working with one family in equestrianism who have five children all interested in the sport. They compete against each other, but they also support each other and have fun together.

“The problem is when the parents get pushy and aggressive — I’ve seen this particularly in swimming — and this can have a negative effect.”

If one sibling is more successful than the other, it is crucial that the parents do not show disappointment. Kairen Cullen, an educational psychologist, says that parents need to be fair and acknowledge their children’s other attributes.

“Being valued is the thing that children aim for most,” Cullen said. “The psychological discomfort that the less achieving sibling feels is quite intense — particularly if their brother or sister achieves success in a public arena.

“There is a temptation for parents to get mesmerised by the sporting ability and forget the other aspects of being human. Likeability is just as important as being a success at sport.”

Try telling that to the Murray brothers in tennis. Jamie may be more likeable, but Andy has the adulation, although their mother, Judy, cannot be faulted for the equal love and public attention that she shows them both.

Perhaps that is why Jamie Murray has set out to make his mark in doubles rather than to plod along as a modest singles player in his brother’s shadow.

Johnson says that relatives of successful sportsmen often try to distinguish themselves in a separate field or in a slightly different way within the same sport. He uses the example of Bobby Charlton being a forward and Jack Charlton playing in defence.

Sometimes, though, there simply is not the will to compete, even if the talent is there.

“I’m working with one young GB athlete who has a younger brother, who is equally gifted but does not have the psychological drive to succeed,” Johnson said. “There is often a feeling that the elder sibling is the leader and so the younger one is less inclined to push forwards.”

Relative success

Words by Patrick Kidd

Arguably the most successful sporting siblings are the Williams sisters in tennis. Venus and Serena have won 18 grand-slam singles titles and ten doubles titles and have both been the world No 1.

Bobby and Jack Charlton played football for England in the 1966 and 1970 World Cups but played for different clubs: Manchester United and Leeds United respectively.

Rory and Tony Underwood played 19 rugby union internationals together on opposite wings for England in the 1990s. In their second match, they each scored a try against a Scotland XV featuring Gavin and Scott Hastings. Both Underwoods became pilots: Rory in the RAF and Tony for easyJet.

Peyton and Eli Manning were named the Most Valuable Players for the 2007 and 2008 Super Bowls, playing at quarterback for the Indianapolis Colts and New York Giants respectively.

Steve and Mark Waugh made almost 19,000 runs between them in Test cricket, with 52 hundreds.