SAO PAULO (AP) -- Officials say former world boxing champion Arturo Gatti has been found dead in a hotel room in northeastern Brazil.
A spokeswoman for the public safety department of Pernambuco state says the body of the former junior welterweight champ was discovered on Saturday morning in the posh seaside resort of Porto de Galinhas, where he arrived on Friday with his wife and one-year-old son.
She said it was unclear how the 37-year-old Canadian died.
"There were no bullet or stab wounds on his body, but police did find blood stains on the floor," she said, adding that his wife and son were unhurt.
The spokeswoman, who did not provide further details, declined to be identified because she was not authorized to comment on the case.
Canada's former world boxing champion Arturo Gatti has been found dead in the northeastern state of Pernambuco, Brazil on Saturday.
Police investigator Edislon Alves confirmed that the body of the former IBF super-featherweight champion and WBC light welterweight champion was discovered by his wife Amanda on the floor of a condominium that the pair had rented to celebrate their "second honeymoon" with their 10-month old son.
Alves stated that the police were investigating the death. Foul play is suspected in the death.
"It is still too early to say anything concrete, although it is all very strange," Alves stated.
Gatti was 37 years old.
Local police investigator Francisco Assis told Brazilian website G1 that Gatti could have been dead for up to eight hours before his body was discovered Saturday morning.
A spokeswoman for the public safety department of Pernambuco released the following statement:
"There were no bullet or stab wounds on his body, but police did find blood stains on the floor," she said, adding that his wife and son were unhurt.
No further details were provided as the spokeswoman stated that she was not authorized to comment on the case.
Those in the boxing community are devastated by the news.
"I'm really in a state of shock right now, as are the people that I've contacted and spoken to that are close to Arturo and had known him for as long as I have," TSN boxing analyst Russ Anber said in a phone interview from Montreal. "I've known Arturo since he was seven years old."
As president of Boxing Quebec and a member of Boxing Canada's board of directors, Anber stated that the impact of Gatti's death is monumental in his home province.
"I think everybody is at a loss for words, especially here in Montreal more than anywhere else in the world. He was a hero here, his family was all here, he had a community presence, he was at all the fights. I think everyone here is just shocked."
"His entire boxing career he fought with us, we've known him since he was 17," Kathy Duva of promoter Main Events told The Associated Press. "It's just an unspeakable tragedy. I can't even find words. It's a horror."
Arturo "Thunder" Gatti's style and willingness to exchange punches with his opponents made him one of the most popular fighters of the past 20 years.
Born in Italy, the Gatti family moved to Montreal when Arturo was very young. Gatti began boxing at the age of eight and was training to prepare to fight for Canada at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics. Instead he turned pro June 10th 1991, scoring a TKO over Jose Gonzalez.
Gatti captured his first professional title on June 28th 1994 by defeating Pete Taliaferro for the USBA junior lightweight crown.
On June 15th 1995 Gatti earned his first world title in a unanimous decision over Tracy Patterson to capture the IBF Junior lightweight title. Gatti would defend that title in 1996 against Wilson Rodriguez in a tilt that would earn "1996 Fight of the Year" honours as Gatti protected his title.
Gatti would earn Fight of the Year honours once again in 1997 thanks to his memorable bout with Gabriel Ruelas that saw Gatti persevere for a fifth round TKO.
After relinquishing his title to move up in weight-class, a Gatti scrap was once again was selected as Fight of the Year in a 10-round loss to Ivan Robinson. Despite the loss, Gatti's reputation had grown so much that he earned a shot at the biggest fight of his career against one of the sport's biggest stars, 'the Golden Boy' Oscar de La Hoya.
Although Gatti lost the bout, he earned the respect of fight fans around the world by going toe-to-toe with one of the best pound-for-pound boxers in the world.
In 2002, Gatti found his foil in 'Irish' Mickey Ward, a tough-as-nails scrapper who would bring out the best in Gatti. The pair staged three of the most memorable fights in recent memory as the two-gladiators appeared to re-enact the climatic scene of a fictional boxing movie where the protagonists exchange haymakers until nothing is left of their opponent. As the New York Post's boxing writer Lenn Robins stated: "It wasn't a trilogy, it was a thrill-ogy."
The notoriety earned from the Gatti/Ward trilogy turned Gatti's title shot against Gianluca Branco a must-see event. Gatti sealed the deal with a 10th round KO to capture the WBC Super Lightweight crown.
Gatti dropped his titles to Floyd Mayweather Jr. on June 25th 2005, suffering his worst-ever defeat by throwing in the towel in the sixth round.
Following a loss to Alfonso Gomez in 2007, Gatti announced his retirement from boxing with a record of 40 wins and nine losses with 31 knockouts.
_________________
cutuphalfdead wrote:
I'm not getting stoned with someone who thinks Unthought Known is the best written Pearl Jam song.
Police detain wife of former boxing champion Gatti
By TALES AZZONI, Associated Press Writer 1 hour, 19 minutes ago
SAO PAULO (AP)—The wife of former boxing champion Arturo Gatti was detained as a suspect by Brazilian authorities Sunday following his death at a posh seaside resort.
Police said 23-year-old Amanda Rodrigues was taken into custody after contradictions in her interrogation. Gatti’s body was found early Saturday in a hotel room at the Porto de Galinhas resort in northeastern Brazil.
The former junior welterweight champion was apparently strangled with the strap of a purse, which was found at the scene with blood stains, said Milena Saraiva, a spokeswoman for the Pernambuco state civil police. She told The Associated Press that the Canadian also had a head injury.
The investigation was not complete, but Saraiva said authorities were preparing to present a formal accusation against Rodrigues, who denied being involved in her husband’s death.
Police said Rodrigues, a Brazilian, could not explain how she spent nearly 10 hours in the room without noticing that Gatti was already dead.
Police were investigating witness reports that the couple fought and Gatti was drunk when he returned to his room Friday night, Saraiva said, adding that police were told the pair were extremely jealous of each other and that he constantly complained of her clothing when she traveled to Brazil.
Acelino “Popo” Freitas, a four-time world champion Brazilian boxer, told Globo TV’s Web site on Saturday that he was a close friend of Gatti and his wife and that he “knew they were having some sort of problem and were about to separate.”
The couple’s 1-year-old son, who was unhurt, was with Rodrigues’ sister, Saraiva said.
The 37-year-old Gatti, whose epic trilogy with Micky Ward branded him one of the most exciting fighters of his generation, retired in 2007 with a career record of 40-9 and 31 knockouts.
Known for his straightforward punching and granite-like chin, Gatti captured the junior welterweight title in 1995, when he defeated Tracy Harris Patterson in Atlantic City.
Joined: Sat Feb 12, 2005 6:30 am Posts: 6116 Location: NC
yup. looking like the wife did it. Really just terrible. from ESPN.com:
SAO PAULO -- Brazilian authorities detained the wife of former boxing champion Arturo Gatti and formally accused her Sunday of killing him at a posh seaside tourist resort in Brazil.
Police said 23-year-old Amanda Rodrigues was taken into custody after contradictions in her interrogation and presented a formal accusation against her. Prosecutors will later decide whether she will be charged.
However, various media reports said Rodrigues had already been charged with the murder.
Rodrigues, who denies any involvement in her husband's death, was the first to find the slain boxer's body early Saturday inside the vacation apartment they were renting at the Porto de Galinhas resort in northeastern Brazil, police said.
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yup. looking like the wife did it. Really just terrible.