Former boxing champion Arturo Gatti, the celebrated fighter who electrified New Jersey boxing before retiring two years ago, was found dead early Saturday morning in a rented apartment in the Brazilian seaside resort of Porto de Galihnas in what reports have called suspicious circumstances.
The 37-year-old former junior welterweight champion was a local powerhouse, fighting some of his most famous battles in Atlantic City. He arrived at the upscale Dorisol Porto Galinhas, in northeastern Brazil, on Friday night with his Brazilian wife and their 1-year-old son, for a second honeymoon.
Foul play has not been ruled out in Gatti's death. Police investigator Edilson Alves told the Associated Press it was unclear how Gatti had died.
"It is still too early to say anything concrete, although it is all very strange," Alves said. He declined to provide any additional details.
A spokeswoman for the state public safety department in Brazil, who declined to give her name in keeping with department policy, said there were no bullet or stab wounds on Gatti's body, "but police did find blood stains on the floor."
Gatti's wife and son were unharmed, she said.
Several Brazilian newspapers reported Gatti's wife, Amanda, found him in his underwear around 6 a.m. in the living room of the apartment the couple had rented for 30 days. He had suffered wounds on his neck and the back of his head, according the Brazilian daily Jornal do Brasil.
Cristina Esperidião, the real estate agent who had rented the apartment to the couple, told the local Jornal do Commercio that Gatti's wife told her the door to the apartment had not been forced open.
The paper also said Gatti had spent his 36th birthday in Brazil at the home of Brazilian boxer Acelino "Popo" Freitas, a four-time world champion.
Andrew Mills/The Star-Ledger
Arturo Gatti at McGirt's Elite Boxing gym in Vero Beach, Fla. ahead of his 2005 fight against Floyd Mayweather in Atlantic City.Gatti was scheduled to be in New York this week to testify in a lawsuit filed by his one-time opponent Joey Gamache against the New York State Athletic commission, according to a report in the Daily News. Gamache, who suffered head trauma and permanent brain damage in the fight, has alleged negligence on the part of the NYSAC because Gatti was overweight for the 141-pound fight, the Daily News reported.
Known for his straightforward punching and granite-like chin, Arturo "Thunder" Gatti captured the junior welterweight title in 1995 when he defeated Tracy Harris Patterson in Atlantic City. His brawling style and natural charisma made him a fan favorite.
"I never saw a crowd show so much love for someone like the way that the crowds flocked to Arturo's fights in Atlantic City," said referee Randy Neumann, who officiated Gatti's last fight against Alfonso Gomez two years ago. "I mean, they were so into him and the crowds were electric. He just fought his heart out every fight."
Eddie Mustafa Muhammad, the 1980 light heavyweight world champion, heard about Gatti's death yesterday evening when his son called with the news. Muhammad was in Newark to attend the fight between cruiserweight champion Tomasz Adamek and Bobby Gunn at the Prudential Center Saturday. Standing outside the arena, Muhammad said he had lost a good friend and the news would cast a pall over the event.
"I knew him personally and as a fighter," Mustafa said. "It hurts me deeply that a man of his stature has fallen."
Now a prominent trainer, Mustafa called Gatti a "warrior" and credited him with energizing the New Jersey boxing scene. "He came at the right time to this area," Mustafa said. "Every time he fought here the place was sold out."
A video highlight package on Gatti was aired at the fight and the bell was rung 10 times in salute.
Gatti grew up in Montreal but he lived in Jersey City and Hoboken during his professional career and continued to keep a home in New Jersey after he retired in 2007, with a career record of 40-9 and 31 knockouts.
"People who were close to him loved him," said Kathy Duva of Totowa promoter Main Events, which represented Gatti.
Duva, who was at the Adamek-Gunn fight last night, remembered meeting Gatti as a 15-year-old kid, when his brother, Joe, was fighting with Main Events. Gatti signed his first pro contract with Duva's husband at the age of 18 and stayed with Main Events his whole career.
"He's been a part of our lives for as long as I can remember," Duva said. She said Gatti called her every Christmas morning.
"It's just an unspeakable tragedy," Duva said. "I can't even find words. It's a horror."
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