Arturo Gatti Jr., the son of the late boxing icon Arturo ‘Thunder’ Gatti, has died at the age of 17.
The amateur fighter was just a baby when his father committed suicide in 2009 at the age of 37. The younger Gatti was found dead in a similar manner in a Mexico City apartment earlier this week, according to a social media post from his former bodyguard Chuck Zito.
“It is with a heavy heart that I have to say:…RIP to 17 year old ARTURO GATTI JR.” Zito wrote on Instagram on Wednesday, adding: “The same way they found his father dead in an apartment in Brazil 16 years ago. My condolences to Arturo Gatti Seniors – mother, sisters, brothers and his daughter Sophia.”
Authorities have not yet confirmed the teen’s official cause of death.
Gatti Jr. had moved to Mexico City to train at local boxing academies so he could eventually make his professional debut. according to CBS News. He reportedly lived in an apartment with his mother, Amanda Rodrigues, Gatti Sr.’s widow.
The younger Gatti was 10 months old when his father, a world champion in two separate weight classes, was found dead in an apartment in Brazil he had rented with Rodrigues. She was arrested as a suspect at the time before investigators ruled his death a suicide.
Rodrigues spoke proudly of her son in 2012: says CBS News correspondent Erin Moriarty on “48 Hours Mystery,” “He’s everything I asked God for. Junior completes me.”
“The smile is the same… just like his father,” she added. “I miss my husband very much.”
Gatti Sr. was a world champion in the super featherweight division in the 1990s and the super lightweight division in the 2000s. Gatti Jr. has a modified image on Instagram just two weeks ago, showing the two standing side by side in their boxing gear.
“The WBA and the boxing world mourn the passing of Arturo Gatti Jr.,” the World Boxing Association said wrote on X on Wednesday. “His journey was just beginning, but his spirit will live on as he is reunited with his legendary father among the stars.”
“Our deepest condolences to his family and loved ones,” the WBA continued.
Gatti Jr. has been mourned ever since Through fellow boxers on social mediaincluding former light heavyweight champion Jean Pascal and influencer Jake Paul. His old coach Moe Latif did reportedly asked people to stop contacting him about the loss.
“Unfortunately it is not a rumor or a joke,” he wrote in an Instagram Story. “Arturo’s gone.”
If you or someone you know needs help, call or text 988 or chat 988lifeline.org for mental health care. Additionally, you can find local mental health and crisis resources at dontcallthepolice.com. Outside the US you can visit the International Association for Suicide Prevention.
