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Former champion Arturo Gatti, who was scheduled to testify in a trial in New York this week in a lawsuit filed against the New York State Athletic commission by former opponent Joey Gamache, has been found dead in northeastern Brazil, according to several reports.
Gatti, 37, was on a second honeymoon with his wife and 10-month-old baby when his blood-stained body was found in an apartment in Porto de Galinhas, the Canadian Broadcasting Company reported.
A police investigation is underway and foul play is suspected, the CBC reported. Gatti was found in his underwear, with blood stains on his neck and the back of his head at about 6 a.m. Saturday morning, according to the the CBC.
Gatti, who was raised in Montreal and was one of the most exciting fighters in the sport, was scheduled to testify in Gamache's trial on a lawsuit charging negligence by the NYSAC at the weigh-in for the Feb. 2000 fight that left Gamache nearly dead from head trauma and with permanent brain damage. Gatti had knocked Gamache down twice in the first round, then rendered him senseless in the second round of their fight at Madison Square Garden. According to Gamache, Gatti was as much as 19 pounds overweight for the 141-pound fight.
"I feel sad, he did a lot for boxing," Gamache said Saturday when he learned of Gatti's death. "He had a lot of memorable fights. People will never forget what he did for boxing."
He started his professional career in 1991 at 19 and won the United States Boxing Association junior lightweight title and successfully defended it twice. He also won the International Boxing Federation's world junior lightweight title.
Gatti (40-9, 31 KOs) was best known for his three Pier 6 brawls with Micky Ward in 2002 and 2003. He fought often at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, where he was a fan favorite.
In his first fight after the Ward trilogy, which he won 2-1, Gatti captured a world title in his second division, winning a decision against Gianluca Branco for the vacant WBC junior welterweight title.
Gatti would go on to make two successful defenses before losing to Floyd Mayweather Jr. by a sixth-round TKO in June 2005. When most pundits thought his career was over, he came back to defeat Thomas Damgaard. But he lost his final two matches, suffering a ninth-round TKO against then welterweight champion Carlos Baldomir in July 2006. That was followed by a loss to former "Contender" star Alfonso Gomez in July 2007.
Gatti, 37, was on a second honeymoon with his wife and 10-month-old baby when his blood-stained body was found in an apartment in Porto de Galinhas, the Canadian Broadcasting Company reported.
A police investigation is underway and foul play is suspected, the CBC reported. Gatti was found in his underwear, with blood stains on his neck and the back of his head at about 6 a.m. Saturday morning, according to the the CBC.
Gatti, who was raised in Montreal and was one of the most exciting fighters in the sport, was scheduled to testify in Gamache's trial on a lawsuit charging negligence by the NYSAC at the weigh-in for the Feb. 2000 fight that left Gamache nearly dead from head trauma and with permanent brain damage. Gatti had knocked Gamache down twice in the first round, then rendered him senseless in the second round of their fight at Madison Square Garden. According to Gamache, Gatti was as much as 19 pounds overweight for the 141-pound fight.
"I feel sad, he did a lot for boxing," Gamache said Saturday when he learned of Gatti's death. "He had a lot of memorable fights. People will never forget what he did for boxing."
He started his professional career in 1991 at 19 and won the United States Boxing Association junior lightweight title and successfully defended it twice. He also won the International Boxing Federation's world junior lightweight title.
Gatti (40-9, 31 KOs) was best known for his three Pier 6 brawls with Micky Ward in 2002 and 2003. He fought often at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, where he was a fan favorite.
In his first fight after the Ward trilogy, which he won 2-1, Gatti captured a world title in his second division, winning a decision against Gianluca Branco for the vacant WBC junior welterweight title.
Gatti would go on to make two successful defenses before losing to Floyd Mayweather Jr. by a sixth-round TKO in June 2005. When most pundits thought his career was over, he came back to defeat Thomas Damgaard. But he lost his final two matches, suffering a ninth-round TKO against then welterweight champion Carlos Baldomir in July 2006. That was followed by a loss to former "Contender" star Alfonso Gomez in July 2007.
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