Arturo Gatti Jr., son of late boxing legend, dies at 17

WEB DESK: The teenage son of late boxing icon and Hall of Famer Arturo Gatti, Arturo Gatti Jr., has died at the age of 17, the World Boxing Association (WBA) confirmed on Wednesday.

“The WBA and the boxing world mourn the passing of Arturo Gatti Jr. His journey was just beginning, yet his spirit will live on, now reunited with his legendary father among the stars,” the organisation said in a statement.

Gatti Jr. was reportedly found dead in an apartment in Mexico, where he lived with his mother and Gatti’s widow, Amanda Rodrigues. According to a post by Chuck Zito, the elder Gatti’s former bodyguard, the teenager was found hanging, in a chillingly similar manner to his father’s death 16 years ago. “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. The same way they found his father dead in an apartment in Brazil 16 years ago,” Zito wrote on Instagram.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Chuck Zito (@officialchuckzito)

The young Gatti had been pursuing a boxing career of his own, training as an amateur with dreams of one day competing in the Olympics before turning professional. His trainer, Moe Latif, confirmed the teenager’s death in an Instagram story, calling for privacy and writing, “It is unfortunately not a rumor or a joke. Arturo is gone.”

Cricket, conflict, and controversy: How war rhetoric and misogyny collided between India and Pakistan

Gatti Jr. was just 10 months old when his father, a two-time world champion known for his thrilling bouts, was found dead in a Brazilian hotel room in July 2009 at the age of 37. The case was initially ruled a homicide and Rodrigues was charged, but the coroner later concluded that Gatti Sr. had died by suicide, and charges were dropped.

The World Boxing Council (WBC) president, Mauricio Sulaiman, also expressed condolences, saying, “The boxing world joins in prayer for the profound loss of Arturo Gatti Jr. May God rest his soul and help his family find peace.”