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From Our Editors

Updated throughout the day with quick takes from staff.

The Ongoing Mystery of Arturo Gatti's Death

by Dave Larzelere • Aug 10, 2009 5:30 PM EDT

The ruling by the Brazilian police that Arturo Gatti committed suicide on July 11 remains a crushing insult to his friends and family. After all, this was a man who built a legendary boxing career on the fact that he never, ever quit, no matter how dire the situation.

Now the world has been told that he quit on his life. Gatti’s body is in a mausoleum in Montreal, and the full details of a second autopsy performed in that city have not yet been released. One wonders, however, if that autopsy can hope to satisfy his loved ones on the exact nature of how he died. For now, it seems likely that Gatti’s death will go down in the annals alongside that of the heiress Sunny von Bulow – a sordid mystery that is never solved but one in which many suspect a spouse of foul play.

As far as the events on the evening in question go, what was known from the outset is pretty much what is known now. Gatti’s wife, the 23-year-old former stripper Amanda Rodrigues, discovered the fighter’s body inside a condo they were renting in the Brazilian seaside resort town of Porto de Galinhas early on the morning of July 11th. It was estimated that he had died up to 10 hours prior to being found by Rodrigues.

The cause of his death appeared to be strangulation by a purse strap. There was also a wound on the back of his head that looked to have been caused by a kitchen knife. It was deemed that no one but Rodrigues could have come in or out of the apartment over the course of the night in question. Hanging was also ruled out of the question, due to the fact that the purse strap could not have held the fighter’s weight in suspension.

The pair had been seen drunkenly fighting the night before in the street, and Gatti was said to have knocked Rodrigues down and absconded in a taxi with their son. According to Rodrigues, she made her way back to the apartment and went immediately upstairs to the bedrooms. Gatti’s body was downstairs. She said only that she presumed he was sleeping, and other than that, she offered no explanation as to how she had spent almost ten hours in the apartment with his corpse before summoning the police.

Given the dubious nature of the circumstances, Rodrigues immediately was taken into custody and soon accused of murdering her husband. After two weeks of investigation, however, she was released and Gatti’s death was ruled a suicide. The only detail offered to support this theory was that the Brazilian autopsy had found that Gatti died by hanging. It was because of this finding that Rodrigues was ruled out, because she was much too small to have lifted and suspended Gatti’s body on her own. The fact that the purse strap was the presumed method of strangulation was not addressed, nor the fact that this strap was initially not thought to have been strong enough to support the fighter’s mass in hanging.

The suicide ruling was met with immediate outrage from Gatti’s intimate circle, outrage that continues to this day. How could he have hung himself with a purse strap, they ask? And what about the wound on the back of his head? A subsequently discovered detail has prompted even more suspicion and made the whole situation eerily macabre and von Bulow-esque: Three weeks before his death, Gatti changed his will to make Rodrigues his sole benefactor, and thus, she will inherit his entire estate.

Gatti’s friends and family are playing a waiting game right now, hoping that the second autopsy, performed in Montreal, will shed more light on exactly how he died. So far the only word on the findings has come from Dr. Michael Baden, a famous pathologist (and host of the HBO show Autopsy) hired by Gatti’s family to investigate his death. Baden declared that the second autopsy had revealed some “surprises,” as he called them. The first was that only a partial autopsy had been performed in Brazil. The second was that injuries were found on Gatti’s body that were not mentioned in the Brazilian report. The Canadian authorities are awaiting the results of toxicology tests and plan to release a full report on their findings in the coming weeks.

It seems doubtful, however, barring the existence of some newly discovered poison in his bloodstream, that a conclusive answer will be forthcoming on this mystery. They may offer a conflicting theory – they may conclude that Gatti was murdered, or merely conclude that suicide was impossible. But that will be only the beginning of another slew of questions, ones that seem ever less likely to be answered with each passing day.

A photo swept the internet last week of Amanda Rodrigues leaving prison in sunglasses with a big smile on her face, and it couldn’t help but fuel the doubts that many harbor about her role in Gatti’s death. It seems now that no one in the public will ever know for sure what that role was, if in fact she played any role at all. Over the course of the rest of her life, that either will be a blessing or a curse, depending on the truth that only she knows.

This post originally appeared on the Sporting Blog. For more, see The Sporting Blog Archives.

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Comments

An even more profound disgrace is the fact that, despite my faithful and unpaid labor for this page, I only have one star next to my name. I should have the whole f*cking galaxy, as they once said of Eisenhower. What more do I have to do?

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by Nikesbduck on Aug 11, 2009 3:21 AM EDT reply actions

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 The ongoing mystery of Arturo Gatti’s death is really talked about up to now. Many of his friends, families and fans want the truth about his death. Is that true, doctors found poison in his blood stream? Well many would still go for cash advance just to know the latest news about this sport icon. I hope the police department will not just seat while the mystery of his death be resolves.

by HamzaY on Aug 11, 2009 5:58 AM EDT reply actions

I have no idea whether Gatti killed himself or not. I do find it amusing that all these people who believed the Brazilian Police at the start of the case now don’t believe them. It’s also funny reading about how Gatti "loved life, and would never quit"….I don’t know Gatti, but from afar there appeared to be a bit of self-loathing going on in his life. The stories I’ve read said he frequently drank and messed around with some serious drugs to excess. He’d party til he couldn’t stand-up. These aren’t traits of someone that "loves himself". I also found his almost "wanting" to take abuse in the ring odd. Many fights, like the Ward batles, Gatti could have avoided punishment. It was almost as though he "wanted to get hurt". When Robert DeNiro was training for Raging Bull someone asked Jake LaMotta if DeNiro could have been a good fighter if he went pro. LaMotta said if DeNiro started earlier he could have been an extremely good fighter. DeNiro shook his head after hearing this and said "I don’t have enough guilt, to be a boxer." He made the point that anyone who willingly subjects themselves to the damage fighter do, want to punish themselves. Gatti, like LaMotta, appeared to want to punish himself inside and out of the ring.

by Stonehand on Aug 11, 2009 7:58 AM EDT reply actions

Stonehand, only just now did I figure out who you are. Very good to have you over here. You’re right – the "he would never quit" line on Gatti has some major holes in it. He was certainly willfully self-destructive. But he also didn’t seem to be the introspective sort of self-destructive personality, a.k.a. the artist type who generally ends up offing himself. To me he seemed like the extroverted self-destructor, and they usually end up dying, you know, by pulling their parachute too late on a cliffdive, or sometimes, by choking on their own vomit after yet another night of raging.The main point, though, is that right now the details of the whole thing are inarguably sketchy, and seem likely to remain that way. The only thing anyone agrees on is that in some way he died by strangulation on a purse strap. What a way for a ring-warrior to go out. The main thing I want to know from the Brazilian police is how did they arrive at the conclusion that absolutely no one but Gatti and Rodrigues could have entered the apartment that night? Is there any such impenetrable abode on earth, let alone Brazil?

by No Mas Large.tsn on Aug 11, 2009 11:33 AM EDT reply actions

It just sounds like the police (like is so often the case) thought they knew what happened before they even start investigating. From what I heard, they found him on the ground, chocked out. With no signs of robbery or forced entry, seeing the bruises on Amanda, hearing from witnesses how they fought in public the night before…the police said "we know what happened." …..it was only later when they figured out he was actually suspended, hanging for hours before breaking the strap and falling to the ground did they start to question their initial theory. Again, who knows?
I do know Gatti fans, the serious ones at least, are an annoying group. They remind me of Rocky Marciano fans. From Chuck Zito to Mickey Rourke to the thousands that have had this weird man-crush on Arturo. I keep reading about this over-the-top macho character they wanted Gatti to be. This real live superhero. Superhero’s don’t get all blasted and end it all in seaside resorts in Brazil. I think if there was video-tape evidence of Arturo killing himself his fans would deny it. The myth is too important to them.

by Stonehand on Aug 11, 2009 12:37 PM EDT reply actions

I don’t find it unbelievable that he would kill himself (though that head wound has to be explained somehow) – nor would I find it unbelievable that the wife hired someone to do it for her. We’ll probably never know what actually happened. As you point out Large, this one looks like it might be filed – right alongside of Sonny Liston – as a "mysterious" death of a former champ – unsolved.

by emhoffk.tsn on Aug 11, 2009 2:33 PM EDT reply actions

Kurt – you cite a much cooler Sonny then I do. I don’t why this thing started me thinking Sunny Von Bulow. I guess the wife, and the weird crap with the will. And also the circumstances being so effed up. I can imagine a sequence in a movie like at the end of Reversal of Fortune where if you knew all the clues you could just come up with endless possibilities for what went down.Speaklng of which, the Arturo Gatti movie must be made. Is anyone writing that script yet? I might have to start. When I talked to Micky Ward about Gatti he said things were going great on the set of his movie. Somehow I think the Gatti movie would be better.

by No Mas Large.tsn on Aug 11, 2009 2:44 PM EDT reply actions

The Arturo Gatti movie was made!!! It’s one of the great movies of our time. It’s called Raging Bull. He just didn’t make it to the final scene. The rest is all there. I’m not sure if Arturo had the issues Jake did:Low-self esteem, sexual inadequacy, fear that leads some men to abuse women, but it sure sounded like he did.Like Ole Jake, Arturo use to like to get hammered in the ring. Maybe it’s because he hurt too much to allow the pain to stop….then again maybe I’m reaching. I do see alot of similarities in Arturo’s story and LaMotta’s (their boxing styles also). I could see Arturo 20-25 years from now overweight, balding,emceeing at a strip club.

by Stonehand on Aug 11, 2009 3:25 PM EDT reply actions

Am I the only one that wants to get some footage of these authorities "investigating," speed it up a little, and splice in the theme song from Benny Hill? These muppets have no idea what they are doing.

by ChiAdam on Aug 11, 2009 4:45 PM EDT reply actions

Stonehand – he was already very overweight. Before the Bradley/Campbell fight I rewatched Bradley/Holt, and he was ringside in that one, and came into the ring after the fight. I knew it was him, because it was in Montreal and it just had to be him, but still it took me a couple of glimpses before I was absolutely sure. Cause the man was fat. He always struggled with the scale, and I guess once the fights were behind him, the scale went out the window. I imagine the same thing is going to happen to Hatton, if it hasn’t already.Speaking of which – you’ve seen your beloved Duran recently, haven’t you? The last time I saw him live was at a Broadway Boxing show and someone kept telling me it was him and I couldn’t believe it until I got like three feet from him. He’s wider now than he is tall.

by No Mas Large.tsn on Aug 11, 2009 7:45 PM EDT reply actions

Yeah Roberto always had battles with weight. He appears to be losing that battle badly these days. He is happy as hell though. That’s a story if you ever want to read one. I talk with Christian Guidice often. He wrote a great book on Duran called "Hands of Stone." It deals with the myth of Duran, not just the man.
Speaking of Duran, I also read that Arturo Gatti was in Panama a week before his death looking at properties to buy with Roberto Duran. Seems that the two of them were going to be business partners. Wonder if the boys went out for dinner and had a few while they were together? It’s funny, can you imagine a couple of young, tough guys seeing Duran and Gatti in a bar. They probably would figure these two fat, old guys are completely harmless..little would they know.

by Stonehand on Aug 12, 2009 6:39 AM EDT reply actions

Yeah, I can easily imagine Gatti and Duran seeing eye to eye on many matters in life. You’ll have to connect me with Guidice – I loved Hands of Stone. Great boxing book.

by No Mas Large.tsn on Aug 12, 2009 10:40 AM EDT reply actions

Large his e-mail is christiangiudice@hotmail.com. He’s on facebook and post pieces from time to time. Very good stuff.

by Stonehand on Aug 12, 2009 12:46 PM EDT reply actions

Stonehand – your posts and views here are probably the most honest and refreshing I’ve read compared to most forums!

If the 2nd autopsy comes back as ‘NOT SUICIDE’ and the toxicology tests are positive, then I’m swayed back to ‘she-had-something-to-do-with-it’, until then, I’ll give Amanda the benefit of the doubt.
I’m intrigued to see what The Gattis do and what Amanda does next if it comes back as this….then we have a whole new ballgame.

However, if the 2nd autopsy comes back as confirmation of ‘NOT MURDER’, then we should all consider that’s what happened.
(folks coming up with theories like ‘she hired an ex-boyfriend’ or ‘two thugs off the street’ or ‘a professional hit-man’ or ‘members of the Recife police’ are going to remain just that forever: theories.)

I’m pretty sure she didn’t do him in and doubt she hired anyone…so it comes back as the latter conclusion: Amanda is innocent, that’s that and I hope she and Jr. can get on with some kind of normality of life.
(I doubt this would involve going back to live in Montreal or even the USA, though)

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