Former champion Arturo Gatti has been found dead in northeastern Brazil on Saturday, several media outlets are reporting.
Gatti, 37, was on a second honeymoon with his wife and 10-month-old baby, the CBC reported. Gatti's blood-stained body was found in an apartment in Porto de Galinhas, Brazilian police say.
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 around 6 a.m. Saturday morning, the CBC reported.
Gatti, who was raied in Montreal, was one of the most successful Canadian boxers in history. He started his professional career in 1991 at age 19.
He won the United States Boxing Association junior lightweight title and successfully defended it twice and International Boxing Federation's world junior lightweight title.
Gatti (40-9, 31 KOs) was best known for his all-action style, which was epitomized in his classic trilogy with Micky Ward in 2002 and 2003.
It's why Gatti was a fixture at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, N.J., where he drew huge crowds and fought many times, including the final nine fights of his career.
In his first fight after the Ward trilogy -- which Gatti won 2-1 -- he captured a world title in his second division, outpointing Gianluca Branco for the vacant WBC junior welterweight title.
Gatti made two defenses before losing it to Floyd Mayweather Jr. via sixth-round TKO in June 2005. He returned to defeat Thomas Damgaard but lost his final two bouts, a ninth-round TKO in a challenge to then-welterweight champion Carlos Baldomir in July 2006 followed by a one-sided beating from former "Contender" star Alfonso Gomez in July 2007.
In the dressing room following the seventh-round knockout loss to Gomez, Gatti announced his retirement.
He had been working in real estate in Montreal following his retirement, but still attended fights, as he did in April for the Timothy Bradley-Kendall Hold junior welterweight unification bout at the Bell Centre in Montreal.
Gatti, 37, was on a second honeymoon with his wife and 10-month-old baby, the CBC reported. Gatti's blood-stained body was found in an apartment in Porto de Galinhas, Brazilian police say.
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 around 6 a.m. Saturday morning, the CBC reported.
Gatti, who was raied in Montreal, was one of the most successful Canadian boxers in history. He started his professional career in 1991 at age 19.
He won the United States Boxing Association junior lightweight title and successfully defended it twice and International Boxing Federation's world junior lightweight title.
Gatti (40-9, 31 KOs) was best known for his all-action style, which was epitomized in his classic trilogy with Micky Ward in 2002 and 2003.
It's why Gatti was a fixture at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, N.J., where he drew huge crowds and fought many times, including the final nine fights of his career.
In his first fight after the Ward trilogy -- which Gatti won 2-1 -- he captured a world title in his second division, outpointing Gianluca Branco for the vacant WBC junior welterweight title.
Gatti made two defenses before losing it to Floyd Mayweather Jr. via sixth-round TKO in June 2005. He returned to defeat Thomas Damgaard but lost his final two bouts, a ninth-round TKO in a challenge to then-welterweight champion Carlos Baldomir in July 2006 followed by a one-sided beating from former "Contender" star Alfonso Gomez in July 2007.
In the dressing room following the seventh-round knockout loss to Gomez, Gatti announced his retirement.
He had been working in real estate in Montreal following his retirement, but still attended fights, as he did in April for the Timothy Bradley-Kendall Hold junior welterweight unification bout at the Bell Centre in Montreal.
