Arturo Gatti (April 15, 1972 – July 11, 2009) was an Italian-Canadian
professional boxer
Professional boxing, or prizefighting, is regulated, sanctioned boxing. Professional boxing bouts are fought for a purse that is divided between the boxers as determined by contract. Most professional bouts are supervised by a regulatory autho ...
who competed from 1991 to 2007. A world champion in two
weight classes
Weight classes are divisions of competition used to match competitors against others of their own size. Weight classes are used in a variety of sports, especially combat sports (such as boxing, kickboxing, mixed martial arts and wrestling). Altern ...
, Gatti held the
IBF
The International Boxing Federation (IBF) is one of four major organizations recognized by the International Boxing Hall of Fame (IBHOF) which sanctions professional boxing bouts, alongside the World Boxing Association (WBA), World Boxing Counci ...
junior lightweight
Super featherweight, also known as junior lightweight, is a weight division in professional boxing, contested between and .
The super featherweight division was established by the New York Walker Law in 1920, although first founded by the New Y ...
title from 1995 to 1998, and the WBCsuper lightweight title from 2004 to 2005. He also participated in '' The Ring'' magazine's
Fight of the Year Fight of the Year is an award given to the boxing match considered to be the best fight that year. It is awarded by a variety of different institutions. It may refer to:
* ''The Ring'' magazine Fight of the Year – awarded by ''The Ring'' magazi ...
a total of four times (1997, 1998, 2002, and 2003). He announced his retirement on July 14, 2007. After his death in 2009, Gatti was inducted into the
International Boxing Hall of Fame
The modern International Boxing Hall of Fame (IBHOF), located in Canastota, New York, honors boxers, trainers and other contributors to the sport worldwide. Inductees are selected by members of the Boxing Writers Association of America. The I ...
on December 10, 2012, in his first year of eligibility, becoming the tenth Canadian boxer to be so inducted.
Gatti was born in Cassino, Italy, and raised in
, a region of central western Italy, before moving to
Montreal
Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-most populous city in Canada and List of towns in Quebec, most populous city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian ...
, Canada. Gatti eventually relocated to
Jersey City, New Jersey
Jersey City is the second-most populous city in the U.S. state of New Jersey, after Newark.
He died under mysterious circumstances in 2009. His Brazilian wife was arrested for his homicide, then released after an autopsy done in Brazil ruled his death was a suicide. Subsequent American and Quebecois investigations could not agree on Gatti's cause of death, and discovered a history of suicidal ideation.
Professional career
Arturo Gatti was a member of the Canadian National team, and was training to represent Canada at the 1992 Summer Games, but in 1991, at age 19, he decided to turn pro instead. He began boxing professionally on the night of June 10, 1991, with a third-round knockout of Jose Gonzalez in Secaucus, New Jersey. He went undefeated for six bouts before losing to King Solomon by split decision in six rounds on November 17, 1992.
His next fight, on March 24, 1993, was his first fight abroad, where he visited
Amsterdam, Netherlands
Amsterdam ( , , , lit. ''The Dam on the River Amstel'') is the capital and most populous city of the Netherlands, with The Hague being the seat of government. It has a population of 907,976 within the city proper, 1,558,755 in the urban are ...
and knocked out Plawen Goutchev in round one.
In 1994, he beat Leon Bostic, and followed through with a Round 1 knockout over Pete Taliaferro to win the USBAsuper featherweight title. He retained the title against Richard Salazar and former world champion Jose Sanabria.
Signing with HBO
On December 15, 1995, Gatti challenged the
IBF
The International Boxing Federation (IBF) is one of four major organizations recognized by the International Boxing Hall of Fame (IBHOF) which sanctions professional boxing bouts, alongside the World Boxing Association (WBA), World Boxing Counci ...
super featherweight Champion
Tracy Harris Patterson
Tracy Harris Patterson, (born on December 26, 1964), is an American former boxer who became a two weight world champion. Born Tracy Harris in Grady, Alabama, he is the adopted son of former Golden Gloves and world heavyweight champion Floyd Patt ...
,
Floyd Patterson
Floyd Patterson (January 4, 1935 – May 11, 2006) was an American professional boxer who competed from 1952 to 1972, and twice reigned as the world heavyweight champion between 1956 and 1962. At the age of 21, he became the youngest boxer in hi ...
's adoptive son. Gatti became world champion when he narrowly outpointed Patterson (scoring: 116–111, 115–112, 114–113) and signed a multi-fight deal with HBO to fight on
HBO Boxing
''HBO World Championship Boxing'' (in later years stylized in its title card as ''HBO Boxing – World Championship'') was an American sports television series on premium television network HBO. It premiered on January 22, 1973 with a fight that ...
.
He only had two fights in 1996, once defending his world title. His title defense, at
Madison Square Garden
Madison Square Garden, colloquially known as The Garden or by its initials MSG, is a multi-purpose indoor arena in New York City. It is located in Midtown Manhattan between Seventh and Eighth avenues from 31st to 33rd Street, above Pennsylva ...
Wilson Rodriguez
Wilson Rodríguez (born 1966-02-04 in Santiago, Dominican Republic) is a retired professional boxer, best known for his 1996 fight with Arturo Gatti (a runner up for ''Ring Magazines 1996 Fight of the Year) and his reign as IBF Inter-Continent ...
was the first of three Gatti fights in a row to be named a candidate for "
Fight of the Year Fight of the Year is an award given to the boxing match considered to be the best fight that year. It is awarded by a variety of different institutions. It may refer to:
* ''The Ring'' magazine Fight of the Year – awarded by ''The Ring'' magazi ...
" by '' Ring Magazine''. Dropped in round two and with his right eye closing fast, Gatti knocked Rodriguez down in round five with a left hook to the body, before finishing him off in round six to retain the title.
In 1997, he again won a points victory over Patterson, but this time by a larger margin (118–108, 117–109, 116–110). He then scored a technical knockout over former world champion
Calvin Grove
Calvin Grove (born August 5, 1962) is an American former professional boxer who was the Featherweight champion of the world.
Professional career
Grove turned pro in 1982 and in 1988 captured the IBF featherweight title with a TKO over Antonio R ...
in the seventh round of a non-title affair. Then came his defense against former world champion
Gabriel Ruelas
Gabriel Ruelas, (born on July 23, 1970 in Yerbabuena, Jalisco, Mexico), is a Mexican former professional boxer.
Professional career
Ruelas turned pro in 1988 and in 1993 challenged WBC Super Featherweight Title holder Azumah Nelson, losing a ...
, which was also named "Fight of the Year" by ''Ring Magazine''. Rocked by a left uppercut in the fourth, Gatti absorbed more than 15 consecutive punches before being saved by the bell. In the fifth, with Ruelas again the aggressor and looking close to victory, Gatti connected with a left hook that lifted Ruelas off the canvas and resulted in the knock out.
To the lightweight division
After that fight, Gatti relinquished the world title, going up in weight to the
lightweight
Lightweight is a weight class in combat sports and rowing.
Boxing
Professional boxing
The lightweight division is over 130 pounds (59 kilograms) and up to 135 pounds (61.2 kilograms) weight class in the sport of boxing.
Notable lightweight boxe ...
division. However, 1998 was a bad year for Gatti, as he lost all three of his fights that year. He lost by a technical knockout in round eight to
Angel Manfredy
Angel Manfredy (born October 30, 1974) is a Puerto Rican-American former professional boxer. Angel Manfredy was a popular fighter in the late 1990s.
Personal
Manfredy, nicknamed ''El Diablo'' (''The Devil'') because of his reckless lifestyl ...
, and then lost a pair of close 10-round decisions to
Ivan Robinson
Ivan "Mighty" Robinson (born February 27, 1971 in Philadelphia) is a boxer who has compiled a record of 36-12-2 (12 KOs) since becoming a professional in 1992. He challenged once for the IBF lightweight title in 1996.
Background
Born and raise ...
, the first by split decision, the second by unanimous. In Gatti-Robinson II, Gatti had a point deducted in the eighth round for low blows. Had the point not been deducted, the fight would have been a draw, as Robinson was only ahead by one point on two scorecards. Gatti-Robinson I was chosen "Fight of the Year" by ''Ring Magazine'', thus marking the second year in a row that a Gatti fight was given that award and the third year in a row a Gatti fight was nominated.
He only had one fight in 1999, knocking out Reyes Munoz in round one.
Controversial fight against Gamache
Gatti's first fight of 2000 proved to be controversial. Faced with former world champion
Joey Gamache
Joseph Gamache (born May 20, 1966) is an American boxing trainer and former professional boxer. He is the second boxer from Maine to capture a world boxing title, as he won the WBA super featherweight title in 1991 and the WBA lightweight titl ...
, Gatti won by a knockout in round two. A subsequent lawsuit by Gamache's handlers claimed Gatti had gained 19 pounds since the weigh-in the day before and thus had a large advantage over Gamache. In the wake of the fight, boxing regulators pushed for a new law limiting the amount of weight a competitor can gain between the weigh-in and time of the fight. Gatti was also accused by Gamache's handlers of not having actually made the contracted weight of 141 pounds. After Gatti-Gamache, some boxing commissions started weighing boxers a second time.
Gatti also won his two other fights that year, against Eric Jukabuwski and Joe Hutchinson.
Trilogy against Micky Ward
In 2001, Gatti only had one fight, going up in weight to meet
welterweight
Welterweight is a weight class in combat sports. Originally the term "welterweight" was used only in boxing, but other combat sports like Muay Thai, taekwondo, and mixed martial arts also use it for their own weight division system to classify the ...
Oscar De La Hoya
Oscar De La Hoya ( , ; born on February 4, 1973) is an American boxing promoter and former professional boxer who competed from 1992 to 2008. His accolades include winning 11 world titles in six weight classes, including the lineal championshi ...
, who beat him by a technical knockout in five rounds. In 2002, Gatti returned to the
light welterweight
Light welterweight, also known as junior welterweight or super lightweight, is a weight class in combat sports.
Boxing Professional boxing
In professional boxing, light welterweight is contested between the lightweight and welterweight divisions, ...
division and defeated former world champion Terronn Millett by a knockout in round four.
He then split two ten-round decisions with "Irish"
Micky Ward
George Michael Ward Jr. (born October 4, 1965), often known by his nickname, "Irish" Micky Ward, is an American former professional boxer who competed from 1985 to 2003. He challenged once for the IBF light welterweight title in 1997, and held ...
, losing their first bout, but winning their second. Gatti-Ward I also earned "Fight of the Year" honors by Ring Magazine, and the 9th round was called the Round of the Century by
Emanuel Steward
Emanuel "Manny" Steward (July 7, 1944 – October 25, 2012) was an American boxer, trainer, and commentator for HBO Boxing. He was also called the Godfather of Detroit Boxing. Steward trained 41 world champion fighters throughout his care ...
.
On June 7, 2003, he and Ward had a rubber match. Gatti broke his twice-repaired right hand when he struck Ward's hip bone with an attempted body shot in the fourth, and he dropped his arm. In the sixth, Gatti dominated the round, but got caught with an overhand to the top of the head a second before the bell rang and went down. Gatti would win the match by unanimous decision. The third fight between the two was again named "
Fight of the Year Fight of the Year is an award given to the boxing match considered to be the best fight that year. It is awarded by a variety of different institutions. It may refer to:
* ''The Ring'' magazine Fight of the Year – awarded by ''The Ring'' magazi ...
" by ''Ring Magazine''.
Gatti vs Ward I & III are also part of HBO's 10 best fights of the decade.
Career after Micky Ward
On January 24, 2004, Gatti, having recovered from a broken hand, scored a tenth round knock-down and defeated
Gianluca Branco
Gianluca Branco (born 20 September 1970) is an Italian former professional boxer who competed from 1995 to 2014. He held the European super-lightweight title twice between 2001 and 2009, the European Union welterweight title from 2012 to 2013, ...
of
Italy
Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...
by a 12-round unanimous decision to win the vacant WBC light welterweight title.
On July 24, 2004, he knocked out the previously unbeaten former world champion Leonard Dorin Doroftei in two rounds at
Atlantic City
Atlantic City, often known by its initials A.C., is a coastal resort city in Atlantic County, New Jersey, United States. The city is known for its casinos, Boardwalk (entertainment district), boardwalk, and beaches. In 2020 United States censu ...
, to retain his title.
Gatti's second defense of his WBC title came against former WBC super featherweight Champion
Jesse James Leija
James Leija (born July 8, 1966), best known as Jesse James Leija, is an American former professional boxer who competed from 1988 to 2005. He held the WBC super featherweight title in 1994, and challenged twice each for world titles at lightwe ...
on January 29, 2005. Gatti beat Leija by a fifth-round knockout. That same night, Arturo's protégé, Danny "Little Mac" McDermott, won his pro debut.
In his next fight, Gatti fought former super featherweight and lightweight world champion
Floyd Mayweather Jr.
Floyd Joy Mayweather Jr. (''né'' Sinclair; February 24, 1977) is an American boxing promoter and former professional boxer. He currently owns a team in the NASCAR Cup Series named The Money Team Racing. As a professional boxer he competed b ...
on June 25, 2005. He took a horrific beating and Gatti's corner man threw in the towel after he was beaten around the ring, thus ending his title reign via sixth-round technical knockout.
After the loss to Mayweather, Gatti moved up to the welterweight division. He beat Thomas Damgaard on January 28, 2006, by an eleventh-round technical knockout to win the vacant IBA
welterweight
Welterweight is a weight class in combat sports. Originally the term "welterweight" was used only in boxing, but other combat sports like Muay Thai, taekwondo, and mixed martial arts also use it for their own weight division system to classify the ...
title and become a champion in 3 different weight divisions.
On July 22, 2006, Gatti lost by a TKO to
Carlos Baldomir
Carlos Manuel Baldomir (born April 30, 1971) is an Argentine former professional boxer who competed from 1993 to 2014. He held the WBC, The ''Ring'', and lineal welterweight titles in 2006, and challenged once for the WBC super welterweight t ...
, vying for the WBC & ''The Ring'' welterweight championship. He then broke off his relationship with
Buddy McGirt
James Walter "Buddy" McGirt (born January 17, 1964) is an American former professional boxer who competed from 1982 to 1997, and has since worked as a boxing trainer. He held world championships in two weight classes, including the IBF junior w ...
and had a new trainer in
Micky Ward
George Michael Ward Jr. (born October 4, 1965), often known by his nickname, "Irish" Micky Ward, is an American former professional boxer who competed from 1985 to 2003. He challenged once for the IBF light welterweight title in 1997, and held ...
.
Final fight and retirement
Gatti attempted a comeback on July 14, 2007, against Alfonso Gomez, only to get TKO'd by Gomez. After the fight, Gatti announced his retirement in the dressing room, reportedly quipping: "I'm coming back — as a spectator."
Gatti retired with a record of 40 wins and 9 losses, with 31 wins by knockout. On September 24, 2008, reports had surfaced that Gatti was considering a comeback against Montreal
welterweight
Welterweight is a weight class in combat sports. Originally the term "welterweight" was used only in boxing, but other combat sports like Muay Thai, taekwondo, and mixed martial arts also use it for their own weight division system to classify the ...
North American Boxing Organization
The North American Boxing Organization (NABO) is one of several regulators of boxing that works in North America. The NABO is one of the regional bodies that is part of the World Boxing Organization
The World Boxing Organization (WBO) is an ...
champion. On December 10, 2012, Arturo Gatti was voted into the
International Boxing Hall of Fame
The modern International Boxing Hall of Fame (IBHOF), located in Canastota, New York, honors boxers, trainers and other contributors to the sport worldwide. Inductees are selected by members of the Boxing Writers Association of America. The I ...
.
Fighting style
Arturo was an aggressive, all-action fighter, often remembered as a Slugger. Early on in his career, Gatti showed his tremendous punching power as he amassed a large number of first-round knockouts. Although he had the ability to box many opponents (as shown in the second
Micky Ward
George Michael Ward Jr. (born October 4, 1965), often known by his nickname, "Irish" Micky Ward, is an American former professional boxer who competed from 1985 to 2003. He challenged once for the IBF light welterweight title in 1997, and held ...
fight) Gatti would often get into brawls when his opponents were able to take the power and fight back. This is why many of his bouts against good opposition were slug-fests.
Gatti had incredible heart, and a very good chin, shown in the majority of his major fights. He was able to absorb incredible amounts of punishment by fighters such as
Wilson Rodriguez
Wilson Rodríguez (born 1966-02-04 in Santiago, Dominican Republic) is a retired professional boxer, best known for his 1996 fight with Arturo Gatti (a runner up for ''Ring Magazines 1996 Fight of the Year) and his reign as IBF Inter-Continent ...
,
Gabriel Ruelas
Gabriel Ruelas, (born on July 23, 1970 in Yerbabuena, Jalisco, Mexico), is a Mexican former professional boxer.
Professional career
Ruelas turned pro in 1988 and in 1993 challenged WBC Super Featherweight Title holder Azumah Nelson, losing a ...
,
Angel Manfredy
Angel Manfredy (born October 30, 1974) is a Puerto Rican-American former professional boxer. Angel Manfredy was a popular fighter in the late 1990s.
Personal
Manfredy, nicknamed ''El Diablo'' (''The Devil'') because of his reckless lifestyl ...
,
Ivan Robinson
Ivan "Mighty" Robinson (born February 27, 1971 in Philadelphia) is a boxer who has compiled a record of 36-12-2 (12 KOs) since becoming a professional in 1992. He challenged once for the IBF lightweight title in 1996.
Background
Born and raise ...
,
Oscar De La Hoya
Oscar De La Hoya ( , ; born on February 4, 1973) is an American boxing promoter and former professional boxer who competed from 1992 to 2008. His accolades include winning 11 world titles in six weight classes, including the lineal championshi ...
, Micky Ward,
Floyd Mayweather
Floyd may refer to:
As a name
* Floyd (given name), a list of people and fictional characters
* Floyd (surname), a list of people and fictional characters
Places in the United States
* Floyd, Arkansas, an unincorporated community
* Floyd, I ...
and
Carlos Baldomir
Carlos Manuel Baldomir (born April 30, 1971) is an Argentine former professional boxer who competed from 1993 to 2014. He held the WBC, The ''Ring'', and lineal welterweight titles in 2006, and challenged once for the WBC super welterweight t ...
, none of whom could knock him out cold. In the Rodriguez fight he showed off his recuperative abilities as he was close to being stopped under a barrage of shots and in the next round he stopped his opponent.
Oscar De La Hoya, who faced many big punchers from 130 pounds to 160 pounds, says Gatti hit him the hardest out of any fighter.
Death
On July 11, 2009, Gatti was found dead in a hotel in Ipojuca,
Pernambuco
Pernambuco () is a States of Brazil, state of Brazil, located in the Northeast Region, Brazil, Northeast region of the country. With an estimated population of 9.6 million people as of 2020, making it List of Brazilian states by population, sev ...
,
Brazil
Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...
, where he was on holiday with his Brazilian wife, Amanda Rodrigues, and their 10-month-old son. He was 37 years old. Gatti was to attend his sister's wedding the same day. Gatti's widow was charged with
first degree murder
Murder is the unlawful killing of another human without justification or valid excuse, especially the unlawful killing of another human with malice aforethought. ("The killing of another person without justification or excuse, especially the ...
after the Brazilian investigator concluded she changed her story several times about how events transpired both the previous night and that morning. The investigator also concluded that it was impossible for Gatti's body to have landed in the position where it was found, under the kitchen counter, after it fell from being hung from the side of a set of stairs. According to Gatti's wife, a strap from her bag was used by Gatti to hang himself, resulting in part of the strap being stained with blood. Rodrigues could not explain how she spent more than 10 hours in the hotel room without realising Gatti was dead. Former boxing champion Acelino Freitas, who was a close friend of Gatti, stated Gatti and Rodrigues were having marital problems. Rodrigues had already filed for separation before their trip to Brazil, yet convinced her husband to go on the trip under the guise of a last ditch attempt to save the marriage. The Brazilian authorities initially ruled Gatti's death a homicide, but after the coroner's autopsy report was released, they declared it was a suicide, and his widow was set free. On July 31, 2009, it was announced that the Canadian government would be seeking more information from the Brazilian authorities on Gatti's death. Gatti's family confirmed that there would be a second autopsy done in Quebec. On August 1, a pathologist hired by the ex-boxing champ's family said Brazilian authorities overlooked bruises on Gatti's body in the initial autopsy. "There were definite injuries that had not been seen by Brazilian authorities", Baden said. Almost a year later, in March 2010, the circumstances concerning Gatti's death remained unclear.Boxing Champ Gatti's Death Remains a Mystery. NY Daily News. March 2010.
At the family's request, a Quebec coroner agreed to exhume the body so that two pathologists could conduct a second autopsy. Coroner Jean Brochu said, "We've been waiting for this for a long time", and "it's going to take a while" before conclusions can be made, and released to the public. A shortage of staff at the coroner's office was blamed for contributing to the delay of the investigation. Regarding a new toxicology report being prepared, Brochu quipped that it "may take a century to get the results". In the interim, CBC's The Fifth Estate found that Gatti had a history of suicidal threats and an attempt in 2005.
The Quebec coroner's report was released in November 2011. Brochu agreed with prior conclusions that Gatti died a violent death from asphyxia by neck constriction. He also noted that Gatti had carisoprodol, a muscle relaxant, in his system, along with alcohol. An expert toxicologist from Quebec retained by the coroner said the drug can produce withdrawal symptoms, such as anxiety, confusion and psychosis. The coroner also stated that "obvious presence of post-mortem lividity" indicated that the body had been suspended for some time before ending up on the floor.
Two independent private investigators from the United States hired by Gatti's family proved it was impossible that Gatti's body would have been found in the place and position it was in if he indeed had hanged himself. They believe his wife had an accomplice to assist with murdering Gatti. Motive was Gatti's fortune, which Rodrigues inherited since she was able to coerce Gatti to void their prenuptial agreement three weeks prior to his death. Rodrigues threatened to leave Gatti and take their son with her, moving to Brazil if Gatti did not write a Will leaving his fortune to Rodrigues.
Despite all the new findings, information, and facts gathered and presented by independent, outside agencies from Canada and the U.S., Brazilian authorities again concluded Gatti's death was a suicide, and closed the case.
In popular culture
*
Australian hardcore
Australian hardcore punk bands tend to have local fan bases, although a number have toured Australia and internationally. Prominent bands from the scene that have been recognised by the mainstream have included Toe to Toe, Massappeal and Minds ...
band Toe to Toe named their 2010 album ''Arturo Gatti''.
*Gatti's death in Brazil, on the day of his sister's wedding in Miami, was the subject of the ''Murder in Paradise'' episode "Brazilian Knockout", on the
Investigation Discovery
Investigation Discovery (stylized and branded on-air as ID since 2008) is an American multinational pay television network dedicated to true crime documentaries owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. As of February 2015, approximately 86 million Amer ...
channel.
Professional boxing record
Pay-per-view bouts
References
Further reading
*Cooley, Will. "'Vanilla Thrillas': Modern Boxing and White-Ethnic Masculinity", Journal of Sport and Social Issues 34:4 (November 2010), 418-437.
*Raspanti, John J. and Taylor, Dennis. "Intimate Warfare: The True Story of the Arturo Gatti vs. Micky Ward Boxing Trilogy" owman and Littlefield (2016.)
About.com
Dotdash Meredith (formerly About.com) is an American digital media company based in New York City. The company publishes online articles and videos about various subjects across categories including health, home, food, finance, tech, beauty, ...