Sports

Boxer Arturo 'Thunder' Gatti Found Dead on Honeymoon in Brazil

by Amy Judd | July 11, 2009 at 03:12 pm

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Arturo 'Thunder' Gatti has been found dead on his second honeymoon in Brazil; the former boxer's blood-stained body was found in an apartment in Porto de Galinhas, where he was staying with his wife and 10-month-old baby. He was found in his underwear with blood stains on the back of his neck and his head at about 6am this morning.

Arturo Gatti was scheduled to testify in New York this week in a lawsuit trial filed against the New York State Athletic commission by Joey Gamache, a former opponent of Gatti.

The police have launched an investigation and they suspect foul play according to a CBC report.

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 boxing at age 19 in 1991 and he won the junior lightweight title and later the world junior lightweight title. He was well-known for his three Pier 6 brawls with Micky Ward in 2002 and 2003.

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