Boxing Is Missing A Piece of Its Heart Now

Today is a sad and tragic day for all fans of boxing, as it has been reported that Arturo Gatti has left this earthly plane. No fighter will be able to replace the ferocity and true heart that Arturo fought with in the ring, a man who literally encompassed what it meant to be a fighter and actually fight for a living, not just go through the motions. He showed us all what a man could do when he would put it all on the line everytime he laced up the gloves, and his loss is saddening and too abrupt. Boxing is missing a large piece of its heart right now that cannot be replaced, that piece was Arturo “Thunder” Gatti. I actually never had the honor or privilege of meeting Arturo in person. Nor have I ever seen any of his bouts live, although I always wanted to. Out of all of the fighters out there, living or deceased, I honestly have to say that Gatti was truly my favorite. I had tried in vain once to get an interview with him. Luckily, I got to speak to Arturo for about 3 minutes, and as one of his biggest fans, those were the best three minutes of my life. I was humbled when I was told by Danny McDermott, also a fighter, that Arturo had read an article of mine and that it motivated him and he agreed with what I had written. It made me feel proud that a hero of mine had taken notice of me and my small little world. I’ll never forget any of that. Boxing media over time hasn’t been particularly too kind to Arturo Gatti. When they weren’t dissecting his opponents, or judging him very harshly, they were immediately rushing him out the door, even when he still had a quarter tank of gas left in the tank. He fought everyone and anyone he could, and refused to duck fighters, something that has become commonplace these days in a weaker society it seems. I always defended the man in my writing, and chose not to follow the crowds, who are generally more interested in sensationalism and less interested in telling the truth. I write as a fan and because I love the sport, and technically I am not a writer. At least in the sense of boxing journalism. Boxing writers write to make money and deface fighters careers often, I write as a fan like I said and make no money doing it. What is even sadder is that now those very same writers who would slam Arturo Gatti and his career will now hop off of their original bandwagons and get onto other ones, so that they can shine in the fall of a great fighter. I miss you Arturo already, although we never knew one another, you were always a hero of mine and someone who I looked up to and admired from a distance. Your wars in the ring gave me hope in troubling times. You let me know that anything could be accomplished and that it is a man’s heart and will that make him persevere and nothing more. I only wish that I could have met you. Maybe one day I’ll meet you in Heaven, if they’ll take me that is. Goodbye Arturo “Thunder” Gatti. They say when someone dies that the sky opens up and the angels cry for them. I know they are crying for you as well Champ. You are missed by all and there is a void in boxing where you once were. There can never be a fighter to come along and take your place and your career is inspirational, motivating and a lesson for us all. Rest well Arturo, you’ve earned it.

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Police detain wife of former boxing champion Gatti

SAO PAULO -- 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.

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Farewell to Boxing’s Truest Warrior

LAS VEGAS, July 11 – ‘Warrior’ is the most overused term in boxing today. Arturo Gatti was a warrior. For 16 years, there was no truer fighter, no man more willing to go where most of us simply couldn’t imagine. Simply put, if you weren’t an Arturo Gatti fan, you weren’t a boxing fan.

Gatti was my hero and one of those guys who always came to fight,” said renowned trainer Don House, who, like the rest of the world, was stunned by Saturday’s announcement that Gatti was found dead at the age of 37 in a hotel in Porto de Galinhas in Brazil. “We didn’t care if he won or lost the fight or who he was gonna fight, we knew Gatti was gonna give us all that he had, one hundred percent.”

That disregard for his own personal safety in the ring made Gatti a staple on HBO from the mid-90s until his retirement in 2007 after a seventh round TKO loss to Alfonso Gomez, and led to him being dubbed boxing’s ‘Human Highlight Film.’ And though he won world titles in the junior lightweight and junior welterweight divisions over the course of his storied career, he will most likely be best remembered for his non-title trilogy with Micky Ward, a series in 2002-2003 that thrilled fans with its intensity and drama, something that had nothing to do with title belts, sanctioning bodies, or hype. It was fighting, pure and simple, a trademark of the Montreal native’s career.

“Ward and Gatti, those were the fights,” said House, smiling at the memory. “To me, those were concerts. They could have done those concerts every weekend in any city in America and they would have sold out.”

You can’t say that for too many fighters these days.

“There’s probably a little six year old kid maybe (who will be the next one),” said House, “but right now, we don’t have another Arturo Gatti. This guy gave us everything.”

For that, we thank him, and will always remember him.

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Former boxing champ Gatti found dead in Brazil

SAO PAULO (AP)—Former boxing champion Arturo Gatti, whose epic trilogy with Micky Ward branded him one of the most exciting fighters of his generation, was found dead in a hotel room in the posh seaside resort of Porto de Galihnas early Saturday.

Police investigator Edilson Alves told The Associated Press that the body of the former junior welterweight champ was discovered in his room at the tourist resort, where Gatti had arrived on Friday with his Brazilian wife Amanda and 1-year-old son.

Alves said police were investigating and it was unclear how the 37-year-old Canadian 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 said Gatti’s wife and son were unhurt. The woman declined to give a name in keeping with department policy.

“There were no bullet or stab wounds on his body, but police did find blood stains on the floor,” she said.

Brazilian boxer and four-time world champion Acelino “Popo” Freitas told the G1 Web site of Brazil’s largest TV network Globo 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.”

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, N.J. His brawling style and natural charisma made him a fan favorite, and he became one of New Jersey’s adopted sons while fighting some of his most memorable battles on the Boardwalk.

“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.”

Gatti continued to keep a home in New Jersey after he retired in 2007, with a career record of 40-9 and 31 knockouts.

“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.”

Gatti defended his title three times before moving up in weight and getting stopped by Angel Manfredy in 1997. He lost twice more before running off four straight wins, setting up a big payday against Oscar De La Hoya.

Although Gatti was knocked out in the fifth round of a lopsided fight, his almost cult-like following never wavered in its support.

“He just captured the imagination of so many people,” Duva said. “We used to joke it was a crowd like the Grateful Dead’s, it was the same people every time.”

Gatti would later lose to big names like Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Carlos Baldomir, but it was his three-fight series against Ward that left an indelible impression on fight fans.

The first time they met, in May 2002, the 140-pounders traded devastating blows for 10 rounds before leaving it up to the judges to decide a winner. Ward earned the mixed decision, by one point on one scorecard and two points on another, in what Ring Magazine called “Fight of the Year.”

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 clear unanimous decision.

Gatti and Ward had their rubber match at Boardwalk Hall in June 2003, and it was again called “Fight of the Year” by Ring Magazine. 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.

“I was sitting him at the post-fight press conference—I can’t remember which one—and I looked at his hand and it was three times the normal size,” Duva said. “He gave me this goofy grin and he said, ‘Yeah, I know. We’ll party tonight and I’ll go to the hospital tomorrow.”’

Gatti attempted a comeback in July 2007, getting knocked out in seven rounds by Gomez. Afterward, with his legion of fans cheering for him in the arena, Gatti announced his retirement in the dressing room at Boardwalk Hall.

Neumann said it was tough for him to end that fight, simply because of Gatti’s incredible ability to come back in fights.

“I couldn’t stop that fight, simply because he was Arturo Gatti,” Neumann said. “He was much more dignified to go out that way. He had to be counted out. When he fought, you never knew if he could come back. He looked beaten and still came back.”

With that loss, Gatti acknowledged the end of all his travails and triumphs.

“I remember walking away from his last fight, and somebody walked up to him in the casino late at night and congratulated him,” Duva said. “And 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.”

AP Sports Writer Dave Skretta in New York and AP freelance writer Jim Hague in Newark, N.J. contributed to this report.

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Former boxer Arturo Gatti found dead on second honeymoon in Brazil

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.

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