Arturo Gatti Jr., the son of the late great boxer Arturo Gattidied at the age of 17, the World Boxing Association announced.
Gatti Jr. was found dead in a Mexico City apartment where he lived with his mother, Amanda Rodrigues. Authorities have not said the cause of death.
“The WBA and the world of boxing mourn the passing of Arturo Gatti Jr. His journey has only just begun, but his spirit will live on, now he has been reunited with his legendary father among the stars,” the WBA said on social media on Wednesday. “Our deepest condolences to his family and loved ones.”
Boxer Jean Pascal paid tribute to Gatti Jr. on social media. “Sixteen years after losing his father, the world loses another Gatti,” Pascal wrote on X. “The son of a legend, two fighters, one legacy, both gone too soon. May they reunite in peace.”
Gatti Jr. moved to Mexico City to train at local academies while preparing to make his professional boxing debut.
Gatti Jr. was 10 months old when his father, a world champion in two weight classes, died at age 37 in Brazil in July 2009. Gatti Sr.’s body was found in an apartment he had rented with Rodrigues. Police initially held Rodrigues as a suspect, but released her and concluded that Gatti Sr. had committed suicide.
In 2012, Rodrigues told “48 Hours Mystery” that she lived for her son, Arturo Jr.
“He’s everything I asked God for,” she told correspondent Erin Moriarty at the time. “Junior makes me complete.”
“The smile is the same…just like his daddy’s,” she said.