Arturo Gatti was one of the toughest and most entertaining fighters ever to step foot in the ring. He was a two-weight world champion. His trilogy with Mickey Ward is an all-time great boxing rivalry. Gatti’s tremendous power is what he was most known for as a boxer. Oscar De La Hoya labeled him the best pure puncher he’d ever faced. 

All of this led to an induction into the Boxing Hall of Fame in 2012. That was five years after he hung up his gloves. However, this was a rare bright spot in his post-fighting life. As with so many prizefighters, Gatti was beset by demons that only the sweet science could keep at bay. No wonder so many fighters keep going until they’re beyond washed up.

The Mysterious Death of Arturo Gatti

These demons eventually lead to his death in 2009, but exactly what happened has been a mystery for 15 years and counting. Brazilian authorities initially ruled Gatti’s death a homicide, charging his wife with murder. However, they officially ruled it a suicide after the coroner submitted an autopsy report.

Needless to say, many people, especially those close to Gatti, still suspected his wife. It’s worth noting that Gatti died in Brazil, where he was vacationing with his Brazilian wife. Some wondered whether she’d received preferential treatment from her home country’s legal system.

Shortly after the Brazilian authorities ruled Gatti’s death a suicide, officials from Gatti’s home province of Quebec, Canada, decided to open their own investigation. The Canadian authorities didn’t say much for years.

Third-party investigators hired by Gatti’s manager decided that he’d been murdered. They noted that he had an injury to the back of his head that couldn’t have possibly been self-inflicted. Gatti’s associates sent their report to the Brazilian authorities, who refused to overturn their suicide verdict.

Gatti’s Troubled Life Revealed

This time, however, fewer people questioned the ruling. Details of Gatti’s troubled personal life had reached major media outlets. These troubles included a history of substance abuse and suicidal ideation, including a serious suicide attempt in 2005.

Gatti had always been a heavy partier and was no stranger to getting in trouble outside the ring. The police arrested Gatti several times during his career and he had three DUIs. However, it seems that the discipline required to box at the highest level–and the support of the family and friends who helped him survive the suicide attempt–was just enough to keep Gatti’s demons from completely destroying his life. 

Gatti’s career started to go downhill after he took a horrific beating from Floyd Mayweather in 2005. His suicide attempt, in which he intentionally took massive overdoses of alcohol, coccaine, and painkillers, happened shortly after this devastating loss.  

It was clear that Gatti’s hard partying had become an outright journey of self-destruction. Gatti’s friends and family members describe his life as being built around drinking, abusing painkillers, and spending time in strip clubs. 

Arturo Gatti Meets His Future Wife

As with all journeys into the abyss of self-destruction, Gatti’s personal troubles, and his inability to deal with them in a healthy way, lead him to hurt those closest to him. 

Gatti had met and quickly married a much younger Brazilian woman, the former Amanda Rodrigues. Their relationship seemed a fairy tale come true for Rodrigues at first, who has spoken about Gatti being romantic and kind-hearted – when sober.

They met late in 2006 and married in 2007. Rodrigues had Gatti’s beloved son, Arturo Junior, in 2008. Also in 2008, Gatti was cited for domestic violence against his wife.

A Marriage on the Rocks

By 2009, their marriage was starting to fail. A trip to Amanda’s homeland with baby in tow was intended to be a second honeymoon, a fresh start for the Gattis. It meant so much to Gatti that he chose the vacation over attending his sister’s wedding.

Somewhat predictably, the trip was a disaster from the beginning. The couple first traveled to Europe, with Gatti describing the trip as a “fucking nightmare” in a voicemail to a friend. However, the Gattis didn’t want to give up on their marriage. They continued onto the second part of their vacation, in Brazil.

Gatti’s Final Night

Shortly after arriving in Brazil, the Gattis had another terrible fight–this time in public. What started as a pleasant family dinner ended in Gatti being attacked by passers-by after assaulting his wife in the middle of the night. 

Investigators hired by Gatti’s former manager would claim a gash on the back of Gatti’s head was caused by his murderous wife. However, witness accounts tell a different story. Multiple people gave police statements describing Gatti bleeding from his head in the aftermath of the brawl with the Brazilian crowd.

The altercation finally ended with Gatti taking Arturo Junior in his baby stroller and running away. He returned a few minutes later to look for his wife, but she’d already left. 

Amanda had returned to the condo where the Gatti’s were staying. Arturo and Arturo Jr. arrived shortly after her. 

By this time, Gatti’s drunken rage had subsided. He was concerned about his wife’s injuries, seemingly forgetting that he’d caused them.

According to Amanda, they agreed then and there that their marriage was over. That was the last conversation that the Gattis would ever have.

Amanda found him dead the next morning. 

So Who Killed Arturo Gatti?

The only living person who knows exactly what happened that night is Gatti’s widow. Combat sports fans, this writer included, may find it hard to believe that a warrior like Gatti would succumb to the dark pull of suicide. After looking through all the evidence, however, the only reasonable conclusion is that Arturo Gatti took his own life that night.

What Lead To Gatti’s Suicide?

Combat sports in general tend to attract troubled people – after all, a well-adjusted person isn’t likely to choose such a violent profession. However, the recent reports about the effect of CTE on athletes who take repeated head trauma – and Gatti took more than his fair share – blurs the line between behavior caused by personal demons and that caused by CTE.

It’s impossible to know what was really going on in Arturo Gatti’s mind. What’s indisputable however, is that there are far too many combat sports athletes who engage in destructive behavior outside the ring. 

Given what we now know about CTE and how it can lead to violent and impulsive behavior, it’s simply a fact that it leads to personal destruction for many of those afflicted.

Even many diehard combat sports fans, like this writer, now feel a bit guilty celebrating a brutal knockout. After all, the fighter will carry that damage for the rest of their lives.