Boxing champ Arturo Gatti dead

**Tonuzaba** · Posted On: 7/13/2009 2:22am

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/0..._n_230233.html

2-time world champion welter weight boxer found dead during a holiday trip to Brazil, where he allegedly hoped to fix a not-so-good marriage...

Arturo Gatti Dead; Wife Accused Of Killing Him

SAO PAULO — Brazilian authorities detained the wife of former boxing champion Arturo Gatti and formally accused her Sunday of killing him at a posh seaside tourist resort in Brazil.
Police said 23-year-old Amanda Rodrigues was taken into custody after contradictions in her interrogation and presented a formal accusation against her. Prosecutors will later decide whether she will be charged.
Rodrigues, who denies any involvement in her husband's death, was the first to find the slain boxer's body early Saturday inside the vacation apartment they were renting at the Porto de Galinhas resort in northeastern Brazil, police said.
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 sustained a head injury.
Police said Rodrigues, a Brazilian, could not explain how she spent nearly 10 hours inside the residence without noticing that Gatti was already dead.
Rodrigues told police she had a fight with Gatti after dinner Friday night and he pushed her to the ground during the altercation, causing her to sustain minor injuries to her elbow and chin. She told authorities Gatti was drunk and that a third party likely committed the crime after he went to the apartment by himself.
Witnesses had reported to police that the couple fought and that Gatti was drunk.
Authorities were told the couple was extremely jealous of each other and that Gatti constantly complained about her clothing when she traveled to Brazil, Saraiva said.
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."
They had planned to spend one month in Brazil on vacation.
The couple's 1-year-old son, who was unhurt, was handed to 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 super featherweight title in 1995, when he defeated Tracy Harris Patterson in Atlantic City, N.J. He won the junior welterweight title in 2004.

**Eddie Hardon** · Posted On: 7/13/2009 5:16am

Originally Posted by Tonuzaba

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/0..._n_230233.html

2-time world champion welter weight boxer found dead during a holiday trip to Brazil, where he allegedly hoped to fix a not-so-good marriage...

Good Lord. The BBC originally reported (via Teletext) that he was found dead in bed and the initial report suggested a possible Brain Haemorrhage. The above is a shocker.

Arturo was a notable brawler who wore his (Fighting) Heart on his sleeve. The surpriseing thing is that he had also shown an ability to box with finesse and elan under Buddy McGirt. The trilogy with Mickey Ward can never be forgotten. As Mike Buffer said following the final last round, "After 30 Rounds, we have the Judges' decision". A courageous boxing and brawlin' Athlete.

RIP.

**OZZ** · Posted On: 7/14/2009 12:29am

One of my favorite fighters of the last 10 years..
RIP

**OZZ** · Posted On: 7/30/2009 11:10pm

Brazilian police have released Gatti's common- law wife after it was ruled he committed suicide..
This isn't over yet...his family isn't convinced.
Neither am I.

RIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil - Canadian boxer Arturo Gatti's death was ruled a suicide by police Thursday and his wife, once suspected of killing the former champion, was released from jail.

Lead investigator Paulo Alberes told The Associated Press authorities decided Gatti killed himself on July 11 while at a seaside resort in northeastern Brazil.

When asked if police had determined the case was a suicide, Alberes said "yes." He offered no other details, though a judge -- in ordering the release of Gatti's wife -- cited the police investigation and wrote that "the victim took his own life, committing suicide by hanging."

Family and friends expressed disbelief that Gatti could have killed himself. His brother Joseph, speaking before a memorial Mass in northern New Jersey, said the family may try to have the body exhumed for an autopsy in Montreal.

But the boxer's wife, 23-year-old Amanda Rodrigues, said in a phone interview as she walked out of jail she thinks Gatti may have killed himself because he was afraid she was going to leave him after the pair had a violent disagreement in public the night before his death.

"We had an argument in the street. Then he pushed me and I hurt myself. I believe that when we got home and he saw that he hurt me, he thought I would leave him, that I would tell him to just let me go, that I would separate from him," Rodrigues said. "He did that in a moment of weakness. He was drunk, maybe he didn't know what he was doing, maybe he thought I would leave him the next day."

A day after the 37-year-old Gatti was found dead, police said Rodrigues had strangled him with her purse strap as he drunkenly slept.

But police began to back off the accusation about a week later after a coroner's report said Gatti may have killed himself as he was found "suspended and hanged." The autopsy report didn't exclude the possibility he was slain, but said he also could have died in an unexplained accident, or could have committed suicide.

"The police investigation concluded that Arturo killed himself," said Celio Avelino, Rodrigues' lawyer. "I've said before it would have been impossible for her to suspend and hang a man of that size."

Judge Ildete Verissimo de Lima ordered the immediate release of Rodrigues after receiving the police report. The judge wrote that police informed the court "the detention of the suspect was no longer needed" as the investigation "excludes the possibility of murder."

Rodrigues said her priority was to see the 10-month-old son she had with Gatti, grieve for her husband and clear her name in the case -- though some of Gatti's friends said they still suspect her.

"All of my plans and dreams involved Arturo. I haven't been able to think of anything beyond that," she said. "My plan now is to stay with my son, my father, mom and sister, nothing more than this."

Gatti's body was discovered in the apartment he was renting with Rodrigues in the resort town of Porto de Galinhas. The pair had arrived there a few days before for a second honeymoon. The couple brought their son, who was unhurt and is in the care of Rodrigues' family in Brazil.

Those close to Gatti in his adopted hometown of Montreal denied he could have killed himself.

"As far as believing that he committed suicide -- honestly it's impossible," Ivano Scarpa, a close friend of Gatti's for the last 25 years, said Thursday.

"I can't believe that at all."

Scarpa said Gatti's family hired a private investigator and a lawyer last week to look into the case in Brazil. They hope to get some answers within a week.

Bernard Barre, Gatti's former trainer and a family friend, described the fighter as a man who had a lust for life.

"He always had a smile on his face," Barre said Thursday.

"I'm extremely surprised -- it's shocking. I can't accept this conclusion."

Barre also questioned the work of authorities in Brazil.

"I had confidence in them until today," he said.

From the accounts of others close to Gatti, his marriage with Rodrigues was tumultuous.

"She was yelling all the time, they were always fighting and she'd say 'I'm going to kill you!' when they fought," Gatti's mother, Ida, said from Montreal shortly after her son's death.

According to records at the Court of Quebec's criminal and penal division, Gatti was charged on April 16 for violating a restraining order that had been filed against him. The records didn't indicate who filed the restraining order, but Gatti's mother confirmed it was Rodrigues who had taken one out against him. She offered no other details.

Rodrigues stressed her innocence and defended her relationship with Gatti.

"There is no one who can doubt my love for Arturo or his for me. Arturo got married at 34 years of age, he was never married before, and this demonstrates the love that he had for me," Rodrigues said. "I was the only the wife of Arturo and I want my good name back. Not only just for me, but out of respect for my husband and my son."

Gatti, who captured two world titles in his 16-year pro career, retired in 2007 with a record of 40-9.

**IMightBeWrong** · Posted On: 7/31/2009 6:35am

Is it just me, or have great fighters been dropping like flies over the last year?

**Eddie Hardon** · Posted On: 7/31/2009 6:45am

Originally Posted by OZZ

Brazilian police have released Gatti's common- law wife after it was ruled he committed suicide..
This isn't over yet...his family isn't convinced.
Neither am I.

RIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil - Canadian boxer Arturo Gatti's death was ruled a suicide by police Thursday and his wife, once suspected of killing the former champion, was released from jail.

Lead investigator Paulo Alberes told The Associated Press authorities decided Gatti killed himself on July 11 while at a seaside resort in northeastern Brazil.

When asked if police had determined the case was a suicide, Alberes said "yes." He offered no other details, though a judge -- in ordering the release of Gatti's wife -- cited the police investigation and wrote that "the victim took his own life, committing suicide by hanging."

Family and friends expressed disbelief that Gatti could have killed himself. His brother Joseph, speaking before a memorial Mass in northern New Jersey, said the family may try to have the body exhumed for an autopsy in Montreal.

But the boxer's wife, 23-year-old Amanda Rodrigues, said in a phone interview as she walked out of jail she thinks Gatti may have killed himself because he was afraid she was going to leave him after the pair had a violent disagreement in public the night before his death.

"We had an argument in the street. Then he pushed me and I hurt myself. I believe that when we got home and he saw that he hurt me, he thought I would leave him, that I would tell him to just let me go, that I would separate from him," Rodrigues said. "He did that in a moment of weakness. He was drunk, maybe he didn't know what he was doing, maybe he thought I would leave him the next day."

A day after the 37-year-old Gatti was found dead, police said Rodrigues had strangled him with her purse strap as he drunkenly slept.

But police began to back off the accusation about a week later after a coroner's report said Gatti may have killed himself as he was found "suspended and hanged." The autopsy report didn't exclude the possibility he was slain, but said he also could have died in an unexplained accident, or could have committed suicide.

"The police investigation concluded that Arturo killed himself," said Celio Avelino, Rodrigues' lawyer. "I've said before it would have been impossible for her to suspend and hang a man of that size."

Judge Ildete Verissimo de Lima ordered the immediate release of Rodrigues after receiving the police report. The judge wrote that police informed the court "the detention of the suspect was no longer needed" as the investigation "excludes the possibility of murder."

Rodrigues said her priority was to see the 10-month-old son she had with Gatti, grieve for her husband and clear her name in the case -- though some of Gatti's friends said they still suspect her.

"All of my plans and dreams involved Arturo. I haven't been able to think of anything beyond that," she said. "My plan now is to stay with my son, my father, mom and sister, nothing more than this."

Gatti's body was discovered in the apartment he was renting with Rodrigues in the resort town of Porto de Galinhas. The pair had arrived there a few days before for a second honeymoon. The couple brought their son, who was unhurt and is in the care of Rodrigues' family in Brazil.

Those close to Gatti in his adopted hometown of Montreal denied he could have killed himself.

"As far as believing that he committed suicide -- honestly it's impossible," Ivano Scarpa, a close friend of Gatti's for the last 25 years, said Thursday.

"I can't believe that at all."

Scarpa said Gatti's family hired a private investigator and a lawyer last week to look into the case in Brazil. They hope to get some answers within a week.

Bernard Barre, Gatti's former trainer and a family friend, described the fighter as a man who had a lust for life.

"He always had a smile on his face," Barre said Thursday.

"I'm extremely surprised -- it's shocking. I can't accept this conclusion."

Barre also questioned the work of authorities in Brazil.

"I had confidence in them until today," he said.

From the accounts of others close to Gatti, his marriage with Rodrigues was tumultuous.

"She was yelling all the time, they were always fighting and she'd say 'I'm going to kill you!' when they fought," Gatti's mother, Ida, said from Montreal shortly after her son's death.

According to records at the Court of Quebec's criminal and penal division, Gatti was charged on April 16 for violating a restraining order that had been filed against him. The records didn't indicate who filed the restraining order, but Gatti's mother confirmed it was Rodrigues who had taken one out against him. She offered no other details.

Rodrigues stressed her innocence and defended her relationship with Gatti.

"There is no one who can doubt my love for Arturo or his for me. Arturo got married at 34 years of age, he was never married before, and this demonstrates the love that he had for me," Rodrigues said. "I was the only the wife of Arturo and I want my good name back. Not only just for me, but out of respect for my husband and my son."

Gatti, who captured two world titles in his 16-year pro career, retired in 2007 with a record of 40-9.

Hmm. Saw a brief comment on BBC telextext that it was ruled Suicide and apart from a Michael Hutchence moment it made me wonder. It still does. I wonder, also, if she's now after the money. That might tell us a bit more.

**ctestes** · Posted On: 8/02/2009 4:01pm

I read today the Arturo Gatti's family is having the body exhumed and a new autopsy. Sad time for boxing with Gatti's passing and then Vernon Forrest.

Owner of: www.boxingsizzle.com, www.mmasizzle.com

**Tonuzaba** · Posted On: 8/02/2009 5:00pm

Originally Posted by ctestes

I read today the Arturo Gatti's family is having the body exhumed and a new autopsy. Sad time for boxing with Gatti's passing and then Vernon Forrest.

Owner of: www.boxingsizzle.com, www.mmasizzle.com

While your choice of nickname including the latin name of testicles is totally up to you, advertising your webpages has some rules here: you've got the option of business membership, sponsoring subforums and such, check those out, in order to avoid getting banned, IMO...

**OZZ** · Posted On: 8/04/2009 3:54pm

The latest autopsy indicates that there were certain elements that were 'overlooked' by the coroners in Brazil..big surprise.
Homicide still cannot be ruled out...

Text Size
MONTREAL -- Bruising on the body of slain fighter Arturo Gatti was overlooked by the Brazilian authorities who conducted the initial autopsy, a celebrity pathologist hired by the ex-boxing champ's family said Saturday after a seven-hour forensic follow-up.

"There were some surprises," Dr. Michael Baden said in an interview with The Canadian Press.

"The first surprise was that it was a partial autopsy, and not a full autopsy; the second was that there were some important findings, like the injuries that had not been identified."

Brazilian authorities said earlier this week that Gatti had committed suicide at a resort in the northeastern part of the country on July 11. His 23-year-old Brazilian wife, Amanda Rodrigues, was released Friday after being held for nearly three weeks on suspicion of murder.

Partial autopsies are unusual in suspected homicides, said Baden, who described the overlooked injuries as bruises that weren't cited in the initial forensic report.

Baden, who assisted in the autopsy at the family's request, said the Montreal medical examiners will perform further toxicology tests in Canada and are also awaiting more information on the scene of death from investigators in Brazil.

"There were definite injuries that had not been seen by Brazilian authorities," Baden said.

"But one needs all of the information -- including the toxicology, which is not available yet -- to be able to come to the conclusion as to whether it's homicide or suicide."

Second autopsies often take longer than the first but have the advantage of fresh information, he added. "We had a better idea of what to look for because of the issues that have been raised."

Baden will continue to share information with the Montreal medical examiners overseeing the latest investigation into Gatti'sdeath.

The two Canadian pathologists, described by Baden as "first-rate," will evaluate the additional information before releasing a report on the ex-boxer's death in the coming weeks.

Baden, a U.S. pathologist, is no stranger to high-profile cases. He's the host of the HBO cable TV show "Autopsy," a popular documentary series investigating mysterious and controversial deaths.

Baden has also testified for the defence or prosecution in a number of celebrity cases, including the criminal trials of O.J. Simpson and Phil Spector. He recently performed the second autopsy on the late Hollywood actor David Carradine.

Brazilian police said Friday that Gatti hanged himself with a bag strap that he tied around a wooden staircase column more than two metres off the ground, looping it around his neck before stepping off a stool.

That conclusion was rejected by Gatti's friends and family, who asked a Quebec coroner to exhume the body, which was buried July 20 in Montreal.

Foreign Affairs Minister Lawrence Cannon said the government also formally asked Brazilian authorities for more information on the investigation into Gatti's death.

Gatti, a Montreal native who held two world titles in his 16-year pro career, retired in 2007 with a record of 40-9.

**OZZ** · Posted On: 8/13/2009 10:18am

The plot thickens..

MONTREAL -- Arturo Gatti's will was changed just three weeks before the ex-boxing champ died, his brother Fabrizio confirmed Sunday.

"It's the truth," he said when asked during a brief phone call for confirmation of reports the former fighter had bequeathed everything to his wife, Amanda Rodrigues.

Family friend and sports journalist Jeremy Filosa told The Canadian Press that on June 17, Gatti and Rodrigues changed the ex-boxer's will, leaving his full inheritance in her name.

"Everything that Arturo Gatti owns -- past, present and future -- goes to his wife. Nothing goes to his children or mother or brothers or sisters," said Filosa.

Gatti's widow was also named executor of his will and stands to receive $1 million from a life insurance policy, Filosa said, adding the family was made aware of the changes on Friday.

Brazilian police said Friday that Gatti's death was being ruled a suicide -- a conclusion rejected by Gatti's friends and family, who asked a Quebec coroner to re-examine the body, buried July 20 in Montreal.

Rodrigues was released Friday after having been held for nearly three weeks in a Brazilian jail on suspicion of murder.