Arturo Gatti

Arturo Gatti, nicknamed "Thunder", "The Ultimate Blood" and "Guts Warrior", was a Canadian professional boxer who was best known for his historic trilogy of fights against Micky Ward. He has participated in Ring Magazine's "fight of the year" a total of four times, in 1997, 1998, 2002, and 2003. Joe Gatti, his brother, is also a professional boxer.

On July 14, 2007, Arturo retired from boxing. He was found dead in a condominium in Brazil on July 11, 2009, with his widow a prime suspect.

Arturo Gatti was a member of the Canadian National Team, and was training to represent Canada at the 1992 Summer Olympics, but at age 19 (in 1991), 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. 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 23, 1993, was his first fight abroad, where he visited Amsterdam and knocked out Plawen Goutchev in round one.

1994 was a year when Gatti stepped up his quality of opposition. He started by beating Leon Bostic, and followed through with a win over Pete Taliaferro to win the USBA super featherweight title, by a knockout in round one. He retained the title against Richard Salazar and Jose Sanabria.


Signing with HBO

On December 15, 1995, Gatti challenged the IBF's world super featherweight champion, Floyd Patterson's adoptive son Tracy Harris Patterson. 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.

He only had 2 fights in 1996, once defending his world title. But his title defense, at Madison Square Garden against Dominican Wilson Rodriguez was the first of three Gatti fights in a row to be named a candidate for "fight of the year" by Ring Magazine. Dropped in round two and with his right eye closing fast, Gatti knocked down Rodriguez 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 in round seven of a non-title affair. Then came his defense against former world champion Gabriel Ruelas, 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, he connected on a left hook to knock Ruelas out.


Controversy against Gamache

His first fight of 2000 proved to be controversial. Faced with former world champion Joey Gamache, Gatti won by a knockout in round two. When Gamache went into a coma for a day and it was discovered that Gatti had gained 19 pounds since the weigh-in the day before and thus had a large advantage in size over Gamache, boxing legislators pushed for a new law requiring boxers not to exceed a certain amount of extra weight from the weight accorded on the day 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, boxing commissions started weighing the boxers a second time, on the day of the fight.

Gatti then won his two other fights that year, over lesser quality name opponents.


Historic trilogy against Micky Ward

In 2001, Gatti only had one fight, going up in weight to meet welterweight Oscar de la Hoya, who beat him by a technical knockout in five rounds. In 2002, Gatti returned to the junior welterweight 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, losing their first bout, but winning their second. Gatti-Ward I also garnered "fight of the year" honors by Ring Magazine.

On June 7, 2003, he and Ward had a rubber match. Gatti broke his twice-repaired right hand on an uppercut to the hip in the fourth, and he dropped his arm, wincing in pain. He fought nearly one-handed for several rounds afterward, using his right sparingly. In the sixth, Gatti dominated the round but got caught with an overhand right to the top of the head a second before the bell rang and went down. Gatti then recovered again and was never in trouble after that. The final scorecards read, 96-93 (twice), and 97-92, in favor of Gatti. The third fight between the two was again named "fight of the year" by Ring Magazine.


Career after Micky Ward

On January 24, 2004, Gatti also recovered from a broken hand, scored a tenth round knock-down and defeated Gianluca Branco of Italy by a twelve round unanimous decision to win the vacant WBC junior welterweight title.

On July 24, 2004, he knocked out the previously unbeaten former world champion Leonard Dorin in two rounds at Atlantic City, to retain his title. It should be noted that Dorin was dropped with one single body shot.

Gatti's second defense of his WBC title came against former world junior lightweight champion Jesse James Leija on January 29, 2005. Gatti beat Leija by a fifth round knockout.

In his next fight, Gatti was dominated by former Super Featherweight and Lightweight world champion Floyd Mayweather Jr. on June 25. He took several punches to the gut thus slowing him down to react. Gatti's corner threw in the towel after taking a strong body shot, thus ending his title reign via sixth-round technical knockout, in what is regarded as Gatti's worst defeat.

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.

On July 22, 2006, Gatti was knocked out by Carlos Baldomir vying for the world welterweight Championship. He then broke off his relationship with Buddy McGirt and had a new trainer in Micky Ward.

Gatti attempted a comeback on July 14, 2007 against Alfonso Gomez, only to get KO'd in seven rounds. After the fight Gatti announced his retirement in the dressing room, reportedly quipping: "I'll be back-as a spectator."

It was confirmed on July 11, 2009 that Gatti was found dead in Brazil at a condo he and his wife were renting. The condo was located in Porto de Galinhas beach (municipality of Ipojuca, Pernambuco). Gatti and his wife were on a second honeymoon with their 1 year-old son. Foul play is suspected, however an investigation is ongoing.

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 Antonin Decarie (19-0), the Canadian and North American Boxing Organization champion.