Arturo Gatti Jr., the son of former Canadian boxer Arturo Gatti, died in Mexico on Tuesday, according to reports from TMZ and TVA Nouvelles.
Chuck Zito, Gatti Sr.'s bodyguard throughout his career, first shared on Wednesday via social media that the 17-year-old Gatti Jr. was found hanged in an apartment in Mexico.
In 2009, Arturo Gatti Sr. was found dead at 37 years old in Brazil while on a vacation with his son and wife, Amanda. His death was eventually declared a suicide by hanging. Gatti was a former world champion in two weight classes, while Arturo Gatti Jr. was attempting to build his own boxing career, including amateur fights in the past.
Here's what's known about Gatti Jr.'s death, along with what's known about his father's boxing career and 2009 death.
Arturo Gatti Jr. dies
On Wednesday, Zito, a friend of Arturo Gatti's throughout his boxing career, along with being his bodyguard, shared on social media that Gatti's son, 17-year-old Arturo Gatti Jr, died in Mexico on Tuesday.
"It's with a heavy heart that I have to say,.... R.I.P. to 17-year-old ARTURO GATTI JR. who was found hanging in an apartment in Mexico yesterday," Zito wrote. "The same way they found his Father dead in an apartment in Brazil 16 years ago.
My condolences to Arturo Gatti Seniors - Mom, Sisters, Brothers, and his daughter Sophia."
Gatti Jr., born in Montreal in 2008, was attempting his own boxing career, following in his father's footsteps. According to Ring Magazine, he "wanted to fight in the Olympics before he turned professional. Gatti Jr. often spoke about his father’s legacy and following him by becoming a boxer.
Willy Gonza sits down with Arturo Gatti Jr., son of the late Hudson County boxing legend Arturo "Thunder" Gatti, to discuss his father's legacy, Jersey City's Ringside Boxing Gym where both trained, and his own future in the sport. pic.twitter.com/chPhyZNCSx
— HudPost (@hudpost) May 5, 2025
Gatti Jr. often shared photos and videos of him training in boxing, including Mike Tyson guiding him since he was a young child.
Arturo Gatti Jr. cause of death
Authorities have yet to confirm the cause of Gatti Jr.’s death.
However, French-speaking Canadian network TVA Nouvelles reported that Arturo Gatti Jr. was in Mexico with his mother, Amanda Rodrigues, before a neighbor found him "hanged" at an apartment.
Who is Arturo Gatti?
Arturo Gatti, the father of Arturo Gatti Jr., was a Canadian professional boxer. He was born in 1972 in Montreal, Quebec, the younger brother of ex-professional boxer Joe Gatti.
After a decorated amateur career, Gatti Sr. turned pro at age 19 in 1991. His boxing career began with a third-round knockout of Jose Gonzalez that year, and he'd go on to register a 40-9 record with 31 knockouts over his career. Gatti held the International Boxing Federation (IBF) junior lightweight title from 1995-98 and the World Boxing Council (WBC) super lightweight title from 2004-05.
Gatti announced his retirement in 2007. He was posthumously inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 2012, becoming the 10th Canadian boxer to be inducted.
Arturo Gatti death
In July 2009, Arturo Gatti Sr. was found dead at 37 years old in a hotel in Ipojuca, Pernambuco, Brazil. He was on a vacation with his wife, Amanda Rodrigues, and his 10-month-old son, Arturo Jr., at the time.
Gatti's death was ruled a suicide by hanging after an autopsy report was released. Prior to then, his wife, Amanda Rodrigues, was briefly detained on pending murder charges after Brazilian authorities had ruled Gatti's death a homicide. Rodrigues was never charged after an autopsy determined Gatti had committed suicide by hanging himself with his wife's purse strap.
Gatti's death has been the subject of controversy in the years since, however. In 2011, CBC reported that Gatti had "exhibited suicidal tendencies years before his 2009 death in Brazil," including a prior suicide attempt by overdosing.
In 2011, an independent team of criminal and medical experts concluded in a private investigation that they believed Gatti was murdered. The team's findings said "that the purse strap allegedly used by Gatti to hang himself was neither long enough to wrap around his 18-inch neck, nor strong enough to support his body weight". The investigators also claimed that money was a motivation for Gatti's death, and that "police failed to test blood-stained towels that were left on the kitchen counter."
Later in 2011, pathologists ruled there was "no clear evidence of foul play." The coroner's report also questioned the quality of the Brazilian police investigation, per CBC, "especially in regard to the examination of the scene where the death occurred."
When did Arturo Gatti die?
Arturo Gatti was found dead on July 11, 2009, in the Brazil hotel. He was 37 years old.