Arturo "Thunder" Gatti Found Dead

SAO PAULO — Officials say former world boxing champion Arturo Gatti has been found dead in a hotel room in northeastern Brazil.

A spokeswoman for the public safety department of Pernambuco state says the body of the former junior welterweight champ was discovered on Saturday morning in the posh seaside resort of Porto de Galinhas, where he arrived on Friday with his wife and one-year-old son.

She said it was unclear how the 37-year-old Canadian died.

"There were no bullet or stab wounds on his body, but police did find blood stains on the floor," she said, adding that his wife and son were unhurt.

The spokeswoman, who did not provide further details, declined to be identified because she was not authorized to comment on the case.
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Gatti retired in 2007.

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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.”

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Darth Caedus said:

Sad news, he had some classic fights with Micky Ward

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Valfar said:

seems like everyone is dying.

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DarthNeil said:

New update... His wife has been taken into custody as a suspect after giving contradictory statements.

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A Brazilian police investigation has determined that the death of boxer Arturo Gatti was a suicide and a court has ordered the release of his wife, once suspected of killing him, officials said Thursday.

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