Former Champion Arturo Gatti Found Dead Aged 37

[sanmiguellight]

In his prime his fights were always fantastic to watch.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/boxing/8146305.stm

Former world boxing champion Arturo Gatti has been found dead in a hotel room in north east Brazil. The Canadian's body was discovered on Saturday at a holiday resort where he had gone with his wife and son.

Italian-born Gatti, 37, was IBF super-featherweight champion in 1995 and WBC light-welterweight champion in 2004. He retired in 2007.

His three-fight series against Micky Ward in 2002 and 2003 established him as one of the most prominent fighters.

Police are understood to be considering foul play because of reported evidence of injuries to Gatti's head but the cause of death has not yet been confirmed.

"It is still too early to say anything concrete, although it is all very strange," police investigator Edilson Alves was quoted as saying.

A spokeswoman for the Pernambuco public safety department confirmed that Gatti's wife and one-year-old son were unhurt.

The family had arrived in the resort of Porto de Galinhas on Friday.

Gatti's career spanned 49 fights and he won 40 of them, 31 by knockout.

He first fought Ward in May 2002 and the pair traded devastating blows for 10 rounds before Ward earned the split decision from the judges.

The rematch was just as brutal, with Gatti knocking Ward down in the third round with a big right. Ward not only recovered from the blow, which broke Gatti's hand, but managed to go the distance. This time, Gatti earned a unanimous decision.

Gatti and Ward had their decider at Boardwalk Hall in June 2003, Ward knocked Gatti to the floor in the sixth round, but despite fighting with his right hand broken again, Gatti managed to win the decision.

Ward and Gatti became close friends toward the end of their careers.

Ward told The Ring: "I'm walking around in a daze. I'm just dazed by it all. You fight a guy, you go to war with them, and there is a respect there. But with me and Arturo, it was greater.

"There was a real bond between us. It's why hearing this, hearing what happened to Arturo is like a piece of you is gone, because we shared so much of everything in the ring. We were friends, close friends."

Gatti eventually retired two years ago following a seventh-round knockout defeat by Alfonso Gomez.

Kathy Duva, of Gatti's promoters Main Events, described his death as an "unspeakable tragedy".

She said: "His entire boxing career he fought with us, we've known him since he was 17.

"He just captured the imagination of so many people."

Duva added: "I remember walking away from his last fight and somebody walked up to him in the casino late at night and congratulated him

"He said 'Why did he congratulate me?' and I said 'He was excited to meet you' and he kind of looked very surprised by that. He had no idea what an icon he was or how much he meant to people."

Edited July 12, 2009 by sanmiguellight

[Tingnongnoi]

sad few weeks for boxing with the death of Alexis Arguello just before this