Look up ward in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.

Ward may refer to:

• A Watchman as in Watch and Ward
• Ward (law), someone placed under the protection of a legal guardian
• USS Aaron Ward, a series of U.S. Navy destroyers
• USS Ward, the first ship to open fire in the Battle of Pearl Harbor, named after James Harmon Ward
• Warring Adolescents Revenge Division (WARD), organization in The Hardy Boys graphic novels
• Ward (band), electronica duo
• Ward (fencing), defensive position in the sport of fencing

Designated areas or social units[link]

• Ward (fortification), part of a castle
• Ward (country subdivision), electoral district or unit of local government
  • Wards of Japan
  • Wards of the United Kingdom
  • Wards of the United States
• Ward (LDS Church), local congregation
• A division, floor or room of a hospital set aside for a particular class or group of patients, for example a convalescent or psychiatric ward.

Places[link]

• Ward, New Zealand
• United States:
  • Ward, Arkansas
  • Ward, California
  • Ward, Colorado
  • Wards of New Orleans
  • Ward Reservation, Massachusetts
  • Ward Township, Todd County, Minnesota
  • Ward, New York
  • Ward Township, Hocking County, Ohio
  • Ward Township, Tioga County, Pennsylvania

Names[link]

• Ward, short form of the given name Howard
• Ward (surname)

Businesses[link]

• Montgomery Ward, an online retailer and former department store chain
• Ward Body Works, a school bus manufacturer, now IC Bus
• Ward's, a publisher of Ward's AutoWorld and Ward's Dealer Business

See also[link]

• The Ward (disambiguation)
• Warded lock

This disambiguation page lists articles associated with the same title. If an internal link led you here, you may wish to change the link to point directly to the intended article.

This biographical article needs additional citations for verification. Please help by adding reliable sources. Contentious material about living persons that is unsourced or poorly sourced must be removed immediately, especially if potentially libelous or harmful. (January 2011)

Shayne Ward
Ward in 2006
Background information
Birth name	Shayne Thomas Ward
Born	(1984-10-16) 16 October 1984 (age 27)
Origin	Clayton, Manchester, England
Genres	Pop, R&B, soul
Occupations	Singer
Instruments	Vocals
Years active	2005–present
Labels	Syco (2005–2011)
Website	shayneward.com

Shayne Thomas Ward,born 16 October 1984^[1] in Manchester, England^[2], is an English pop singer who rose to fame as the winner of second series of The X Factor. He has sold over three million records worldwide and has had number one albums and singles in nine countries. During The X Factor competition, Ward was mentored by manager Louis Walsh. The Bookies' favourite to win the show, he defeated duo Journey South and singer Andy Abraham in the final screened by ITV1 by a margin of 1.2% of the vote, out of a reputed 10.8 million phone votes cast by viewers. His first single, "That's My Goal", was released in the United Kingdom on December21, 2005 and became the last number one of 2005, hitting the top spot on 31 December.^[3] It sold 313,000 copies on its first day of sales, making it the third fastest selling single of all time, behind Elton John's "Candle in the Wind" and Will Young's "Evergreen", which sold 685,000 and 400,000 copies in their first days of sale respectively. Ward's prize, as winner, was a recording contract with Simon Cowell's Syco record label, which is co-owned by Sony Music Entertainment. The contract had a stated value of £1 million, of which £150,000 was a cash advance and the remainder was allocated to recording and marketing costs.^[4]

Early life[link]

Ward was born in 1984 in Clayton to Irish Traveller parents Martin and Philomena.^[5] He has a twin sister named Emma and five other siblings: Mark, Martin, Michael, Lisa and Leona.^[5] He is a Manchester United supporter,^[6] and in 2002 he reached the final thirty of Popstars: The Rivals,^[7] the television show that created Girls Aloud. Prior to his participation in The X Factor, Ward was in a band called Destiny with two women named Tracy Murphy and Tracey Lyle, performing at pubs, clubs and weddings.^[7] Ward has been in a relationship with Faye McKeever since 2004.^[8]

Career[link]

[edit] 2005: The X Factor

In early 2005, Ward auditioned for the second series of The X Factor. He impressed all three judges (Simon Cowell, Sharon Osbourne and Louis Walsh) and passed through to the next round. His category (16 to 24 year olds) was then mentored by Walsh, and Ward was chosen to be among Walsh's top four contestants and perform on the live shows. Ward quickly became the bookmakers' favourite to win the show, and after making it to the grand final, he defeated Simon Cowell's duo Journey South and Sharon Osbourne's over-25 singer Andy Abraham and was crowned as the winner of The X Factor 2005.^[9] He had not fallen into the bottom two throughout the entire competition, and won by a margin of 1.2% of the vote, out of a reported 10.8 million phone votes cast by viewers. Immediately after the competition, his X Factor mentor Louis Walsh became his manager under a joint venture with Global Publishing and Walsh Global Management.

[edit] 2006–07: Shayne Ward

Immediately after his victory on The X Factor, Ward signed a recording contract with Syco Music and his first single, "That's My Goal", was released in the UK on Wednesday, 21 December 2005. After selling 742,000 copies in the first week, including 313,000 on its first day, it became the Christmas number one single of 2005, held the top spot for four weeks and stayed in the top 75 until June 2006, a 21-week run. It became, at that time the fourth fastest-selling UK single of all time, beaten only by Elton John's "Candle in the Wind", Will Young's "Anything Is Possible/Evergreen", and Gareth Gates' "Unchained Melody" which sold 685,000, 403,000 and 335,000 copies in their first days of sale respectively. To date, "That's My Goal" has sold over 1.3 million copies in the UK. Ward also won an Ivor Nevello Award for being the Best Selling Single. Ward's second single, "No Promises", a cover of a Bryan Rice song was released on 10 April 2006, and peaked at number two in the UK Singles Chart. Shayne Ward, his self-titled debut album was released on 17 April 2006. It sold 201,266 copies in the first week and entered the albums chart at number one. To date, the album has sold 520,000 copies in the UK and a further 2,000,000 worldwide, reaching number one in eight other countries. The album was certified platinum. Ward's third single "Stand by Me" failed to make the chart impact of the previous two, entering and peaking in the UK Singles Chart at number fourteen.^[10] It fared slightly better in the Irish charts however, reaching number nine. It was confirmed in Gary Barlow's autobiography My Take, that in 2006, fellow Take That member, Jason Orange threatened to quit the band, and Ward was seriously considered as his replacement. Orange, however, later changed his mind and a replacement was not required.^[11] In August 2006, it was reported that Ward had developed vocal cord nodules – the same condition that stopped the singing career of Julie Andrews – and was to be flown out to Los Angeles in early September to see a specialist surgeon. His manager, Louis Walsh, released a statement that he was confident Ward would be fine and would be back at work by the end of the month. Ward had successful treatment and was indeed able to return to his singing career. In November 2006, he released his autobiography entitled My Story. He travelled to several places around the UK for book signings, which hundreds of people attended. In early 2007, Ward embarked on a solo tour of UK & Republic of Ireland venues, taking in eighteen concerts in twenty-eight days from late January to mid-February. The tour commenced in Dublin on 21 January and ended in Birmingham on 17 February 2007.

[edit] 2007–08: Breathless

After the completion of his successful debut tour, Ward's fourth single and first from his second album, "If That's OK with You" was given a release date of 20 August 2007, but was then delayed and became a double A-side single with "No U Hang Up". It was finally released on 24 September 2007, and charted at number two in the UK being held off by the Sugababes with "About You Now". "No U Hang Up" and "If That's OK with You" charted separately in Ireland, the former reaching number eleven and the latter entering at number one. Ward's second album, Breathless, was released on 26 November 2007, and after selling over 95,000 copies in its first week, debuted at number two on the UK Albums Chart, held off the top spot by his X Factor successor, Leona Lewis's, multi-platinum selling debut, Spirit. In Ireland, the album debuted at number one, removing Lewis's album from the top spot, a position it held for three weeks, and was later certified five times platinum. The second single from Ward's album was announced as "Breathless", and was released on 19 November 2007. It peaked at number six in the UK and number two in Ireland. On 10 November, Ward performed "Breathless" on the live results show of the fourth series of The X Factor, although the single was not available for download until the 18 November, followed by a performance on The Paul O'Grady Show on 19 November. In the UK the album has been certified platinum with sales of over 450,000. In May 2008 Ward embarked on his month-long UK tour named The Breathless Tour 2008. He made his stage debut at London's O₂ Arena and visited his home town Manchester at the MEN Arena. He also performed his complete show as a support act for Westlife's 2008 tour in front of a crowd of over 80,000 at Ireland's Croke Park. Ward also played on the opening night at The O₂, Dublin, at the Cheerios Childline concert on 16 December 2008.

[edit] 2009–2011: Obsession

Simon Cowell refused to release any further music by Ward for three years in favour of Leona Lewis and Susan Boyle, prompting manager Louis Walsh to stop managing Ward.^[12] Ward began working on his third album in 2009 with producers RedOne and Taio Cruz.^[13] The album, titled Obsession, was released on 15 November 2010.^[14] The singer worked with songwriters such as Savan Kotecha, Quiz & Larossi and Lucas Secon, while the songs produced by RedOne and Taio Cruz will not be included.^[15] The first single from the album is a cover version of Nickelback's 2008 single, "Gotta Be Somebody".^[16] Ward's version was released on 7 November 2010 and reached number 12 in the UK and number 10 in Ireland.^[14] The video for the song premiered on 29 October 2010 and he performed the song on The X Factor on 7 November. Shayne also performed at the Miss World Pageant, which was held in Sanya, China. He did his first television appearance in over two years, on Live From Studio Five the day after his X Factor appearance, where he also performed his single. The album reached number 11 in Ireland on 19 November and peaked at number 15 in the UK on 21 November. On 8 March 2011, Shayne performed the title track from the album Obsession on The Alan Titchmarsh Show. In an interview with Digital Spy Ward stated that he hoped he could release a second single from the album. On 19 April 2011, it was reported that Syco Music had not renewed their recording contract with Ward due to the chart performance of Obsession.^[17] Ward later responded to the label's decision on his Twitter profile writing, "1 door closed, A Thousand more will open."^[18]

[edit] 2011-present: Rock of Ages

On 9 June 2011, it was announced that Ward would star as Stacee Jaxx in 80s-themed musical Rock of Ages at the Shaftesbury Theatre, London.^[19] He has since announced that he will be returning to the studio in September 2012, after his contract with Rock of Ages ends.

Discography[link]

Studio albums[link]

Singles[link]

Notes

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Shayne Ward

• Official website
• BBC Berkshire: Shayne Ward interview
• Shayne Ward at the Internet Movie Database

Arturo Gatti
Gatti on November 24, 2002
Statistics
Real name	Arturo Gatti
Nickname(s)	Thunder
Rated at	Super Featherweight Lightweight Light Welterweight Welterweight
Height	5 ft 7 1⁄2 in (1.71 m)
Reach	70 in (178 cm)
Nationality	Italian Canadian
Born	(1972-04-15)April 15, 1972 Cassino, Italy
Died	July 11, 2009(2009-07-11) (aged 37) Ipojuca, State of Pernambuco, Brazil
Stance	Orthodox
Boxing record
Total fights	49
Wins	40
Wins by KO	31
Losses	9
Draws	0
No contests	0

Arturo "Thunder" Gatti (April 15, 1972 – July 11, 2009) was an Italian-Canadian professional boxer.^[1][2][3] Born in Cassino, Italy and raised in Montreal, Quebec, Canada,^[4] Gatti relocated to Jersey City, United States as a teenager. He returned to Montreal after retiring from boxing to work in real estate.^[5][6]

Gatti won world championships designated by two different boxing boards in two different weight classes. He also participated in Ring Magazine's "Fight of the Year" a total of four times (1997, 1998, 2002 and 2003). He announced his retirement on July 14, 2007.^[7][8]

Professional career[link]

Arturo Gatti was a member of the Canadian National team, and was training to represent Canada at the 1992 Summer Games, but at age 19 (in 1991), he decided to turn pro instead.^[2][9] He began boxing professionally on the night of November 17, 1992.

His next fight, on March 24, 1993, was his first fight abroad, where he visited Amsterdam, Netherlands and knocked out Plawen Goutchev in round one.

In 1994, he beat Leon Bostic, and followed through with a win over Pete Taliaferro to win the USBA Super Featherweight title, by a knockout in round one. He retained the title against Richard Salazar and former world champion Jose Sanabria.

Signing with HBO[link]

On December 15, 1995, Gatti challenged the IBF Super Featherweight Champion Tracy Harris Patterson, Floyd Patterson's adoptive son. Gatti became world champion when he narrowly outpointed Patterson (scoring: 116–111, 115–112, 114–113) and signed a multi-fight deal with HBO to fight on HBO Boxing.

He only had two fights in 1996, once defending his world title. His title defense, at Madison Square Garden against Dominican Wilson Rodriguez was the first of three Gatti fights in a row to be named a candidate for "Fight of the Year" by Ring Magazine. Dropped in round two and with his right eye closing fast, Gatti knocked Rodriguez down in round five with a left hook to the body, before finishing him off in round six to retain the title.

In 1997, he again won a points victory over Patterson, but this time by a larger margin (118–108, 117–109, 116–110). He then scored a technical knockout over former world champion Calvin Grove in the seventh round of a non-title affair. Then came his defense against former world champion Gabriel Ruelas, which was also named "Fight of the Year" by Ring Magazine. Rocked by a left uppercut in the fourth, Gatti absorbed more than 15 consecutive punches before being saved by the bell. In the fifth, he connected on a left hook to knock Ruelas out.

To the lightweight division[link]

After that fight, Gatti relinquished the world title, going up in weight to the lightweight division. However, 1998 was a bad year for Gatti, as he lost all three of his fights that year. He lost by a technical knockout in round eight to Angel Manfredy, and then lost a pair of close 10 round decisions to Ivan Robinson, the first by split decision, the second by unanimous. In Gatti-Robinson II, Gatti had a point deducted in the eighth round for low blows. Had the point not been deducted, the fight would have been a draw, as Robinson was only ahead by one point on two scorecards.^[10] Gatti-Robinson I was chosen "Fight of the Year" by Ring Magazine, thus marking the second year in a row that a Gatti fight was given that award and the third year in a row a Gatti fight was nominated.

He only had one fight in 1999, knocking out Reyes Munoz in round one.

Controversial fight against Gamache[link]

Gatti's first fight of 2000 proved to be controversial. Faced with former world champion Joey Gamache, Gatti won by a knockout in round two. A subsequent lawsuit by Gamache's handlers claimed Gatti had gained 19 pounds since the weigh-in the day before and thus had a large advantage over Gamache.^[11] In the wake of the fight, boxing regulators pushed for a new law limiting the amount of weight a competitor can gain between the weigh-in and time of the fight. Gatti was also accused by Gamache's handlers of not having actually made the contracted weight of 141 pounds. After Gatti-Gamache, some boxing commissions started weighing boxers a second time.

Gatti also won his two other fights that year.

Trilogy against Micky Ward[link]

Gatti at the post-fight press conference on June 7, 2003

In 2001, Gatti only had one fight, going up in weight to meet welterweight Oscar De La Hoya, who beat him by a technical knockout in five rounds. In 2002, Gatti returned to the light welterweight division and defeated former world champion Terronn Millett by a knockout in round four.

He then split two ten round decisions with "Irish" Micky Ward, losing their first bout, but winning their second. Gatti-Ward I also earned "Fight of the Year" honors by Ring Magazine and the 9th round was called the Round of the Century by Emanuel Steward.

On June 7, 2003, he and Ward had a rubber match. Gatti broke his twice-repaired right hand on an uppercut to the hip in the fourth, and he dropped his arm. In the sixth, Gatti dominated the round but got caught with an overhand right to the top of the head a second before the bell rang and went down. The final scorecards read, 96–93, 96–93 and 97–92, in favor of Gatti. The third fight between the two was again named "Fight of the Year" by Ring Magazine.

Career after Micky Ward[link]

On January 24, 2004, Gatti, having recovered from a broken hand, scored a tenth round knock-down and defeated Gianluca Branco of Italy by a 12 round unanimous decision to win the vacant WBC Light Welterweight title.

On July 24, 2004, he knocked out the previously unbeaten former world champion Leonard Dorin Doroftei in two rounds at Atlantic City, to retain his title.

Gatti's second defense of his WBC title came against former WBC Super Featherweight Champion Jesse James Leija on January 29, 2005. Gatti beat Leija by a fifth round knockout. That same night, Arturo's protege, Danny "Little Mac" McDermott, won his pro debut.

In his next fight, Gatti fought former Super Featherweight and Lightweight World Champion Floyd Mayweather Jr. on June 25, 2005. He took a horrific beating and Gatti's corner man threw in the towel after he was beaten around the ring, thus ending his title reign via sixth-round technical knockout.

After the loss to Mayweather, Gatti moved up to the welterweight division. He beat Thomas Damgaard on January 28, 2006, by an eleventh round technical knockout to win the vacant IBA Welterweight title and become a champion in 3 different weight divisions.

On July 22, 2006, Gatti lost by a TKO to Carlos Baldomir, vying for the WBC & The Ring Welterweight Championship. He then broke off his relationship with Buddy McGirt and had a new trainer in Micky Ward.

Gatti attempted a comeback on July 14, 2007, against Alfonso Gomez, only to get TKO'd by Gomez. After the fight, Gatti announced his retirement in the dressing room, reportedly quipping: "I'll be back — as a spectator."

Professional boxing record[link]

40 Wins (31 knockouts, 9 decisions), 9 Losses (5 knockouts, 4 decisions), 0 Draws[12]
Res.	Record	Opponent	Type	Rd., Time	Date	Location	Notes
Loss	40–9	Alfonso Gomez	TKO	7 (10)	2007-07-14	Boardwalk Hall, Atlantic City, New Jersey
Loss	40–8	Carlos Baldomir	TKO	9 (12)	2006-07-22	Boardwalk Hall, Atlantic City, New Jersey	Lost IBA Welterweight title. For WBC & The Ring Welterweight titles.
Win	40–7	Thomas Damgaard	TKO	11 (12)	2006-01-28	Boardwalk Hall, Atlantic City, New Jersey	Won vacant IBA Welterweight title.
Loss	39–7	Floyd Mayweather Jr.	RTD	6 (12)	2005-06-25	Boardwalk Hall, Atlantic City, New Jersey	Lost WBC Light Welterweight title.
Win	39–6	Jesse James Leija	KO	5 (12)	2005-01-29	Boardwalk Hall, Atlantic City, New Jersey	Retained WBC Light Welterweight title.
Win	38–6	Leonard Dorin	KO	2 (12)	2004-07-24	Boardwalk Hall, Atlantic City, New Jersey	Retained WBC Light Welterweight title.
Win	37–6	Gianluca Branco	UD	12	2004-01-24	Boardwalk Hall, Atlantic City, New Jersey	Won vacant WBC Light Welterweight title.
Win	36–6	Micky Ward	UD	10	2003-06-07	Boardwalk Hall, Atlantic City, New Jersey	2003 Fight of the Year by The Ring Magazine.
Win	35–6	Micky Ward	UD	10	2002-11-23	Boardwalk Hall, Atlantic City, New Jersey
Loss	34–6	Micky Ward	MD	10	2002-05-18	Mohegan Sun Casino, Uncasville, Connecticut	2002 Fight of the Year by The Ring Magazine.
Win	34–5	Terron Millett	TKO	4 (10)	2002-01-26	MSG Theater, New York, New York
Loss	33–5	Oscar De La Hoya	TKO	5 (10)	2001-03-24	MGM Grand, Las Vegas, Nevada
Win	33–4	Joe Hutchinson	UD	10	2000-09-08	Molson Centre, Montreal, Quebec
Win	32–4	Eric Jakubowski	TKO	2 (10)	2000-04-29	Madison Square Garden, New York, New York
Win	31–4	Joey Gamache	KO	2 (10)	2000-02-26	Madison Square Garden, New York, New York
Win	30–4	Reyes Munoz	TKO	1 (10)	1999-08-14	Foxwoods Resort, Mashantucket, Connecticut
Loss	29–4	Ivan Robinson	UD	10	1998-12-12	Trump Taj Mahal, Atlantic City, New Jersey
Loss	29–3	Ivan Robinson	SD	10	1998-08-22	Convention Hall, Atlantic City, New Jersey	1998 Fight of the Year by The Ring Magazine.
Loss	29–2	Angel Manfredy	TKO	8 (10)	1998-01-17	Convention Hall, Atlantic City, New Jersey
Win	29–1	Gabriel Ruelas	TKO	5 (12)	1997-10-04	Caesar's Hotel & Casino, Atlantic City, New Jersey	Retained IBF Super Featherweight title. 1997 Fight of the Year by The Ring Magazine.
Win	28–1	Calvin Grove	RTD	7 (10)	1997-05-04	Caesar's Hotel & Casino, Atlantic City, New Jersey
Win	27–1	Tracy Harris Patterson	UD	12	1997-02-22	Convention Hall, Atlantic City, New Jersey	Retained IBF Super Featherweight title.
Win	26–1	Feliciano Correa	KO	3 (10)	1996-07-11	Madison Square Garden, New York, New York
Win	25–1	Wilson Rodriguez	KO	6 (12)	1996-03-23	MSG Theater, New York, New York	Retained IBF Super Featherweight title.
Win	24–1	Tracy Harris Patterson	UD	12	1995-12-15	Madison Square Garden, New York, New York	Won IBF Super Featherweight title.
Win	23–1	Carlos Vergara	TKO	1 (10)	1995-10-07	Convention Hall, Atlantic City, New Jersey
Win	22–1	Barrington Francis	TKO	6 (10)	1995-07-13	Caesar's Hotel & Casino, Atlantic City, New Jersey
Win	21–1	Tialano Tovar	KO	1 (10)	1995-04-22	Ballys Park Place Hotel Casino, Atlantic City, New Jersey
Win	20–1	Roman Smolenkov	KO	1 (?)	1995-03-09	Martinihal, Groningen, Netherlands
Win	19–1	Jose Sanabria	UD	12	1994-11-22	Meadowlands Convention Center, Secaucus, New Jersey	Retained USBA Super Featherweight title.
Win	18–1	Richard Salazar	TKO	10 (12)	1994-08-16	Madison Square Garden, New York, New York	Retained USBA Super Featherweight Title.
Win	17–1	Pete Taliaferro	TKO	1 (12)	1994-06-28	Convention Hall, Atlantic City, New Jersey	Won USBA Super Featherweight title.
Win	16–1	Darrell Singleton	TKO	1 (8)	1994-05-06	Boardwalk Convention Center, Atlantic City, New Jersey
Win	15–1	Leon Bostic	PTS	8	1994-01-08	Friar Tuck Inn, Catskill, New York
Win	14–1	Glenn Irizarry	TKO	1 (?)	1993-11-11	Huntington Hilton Hotel, Melville, New York
Win	13–1	Derek Francis	KO	1 (?)	1993-10-23	Sands Casino Hotel, Atlantic City, New Jersey
Win	12–1	Luis Guzman	KO	1 (?)	1993-08-24	Merv Griffin's Resorts, Atlantic City, New Jersey
Win	11–1	Robert Scott	KO	1 (?)	1993-07-30	Ramada Hotel, New York, New York
Win	10–1	Christino Suero	KO	3 (8)	1993-06-20	Harrah's Marina Hotel Casino, Atlantic City, New Jersey
Win	9–1	Clifford Hicks	KO	3 (?)	1993-05-15	Memorial Highshool Gym, Brick Town, New Jersey
Win	8–1	Curtis Mathis	TKO	3 (?)	1993-04-07	Newark, New Jersey
Win	7–1	Plamen Gechev	TKO	1 (?)	1993-03-23	Merv Griffin's Resorts, Atlantic City, New Jersey
Loss	6–1	King Solomon	SD	6	1992-11-17	Blue Horizon, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Win	6–0	Joe Lafontant	UD	6	1992-05-15	Trump Taj Mahal, Atlantic City, New Jersey
Win	5–0	Antonio Gonzalez	TKO	1 (4)	1992-04-22	Meadowlands Arena, East Rutherford, New Jersey
Win	4–0	Francisco Aguiano	TKO	1 (?)	1991-10-22	Blue Horizon, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Win	3–0	Richard De Jesus	TKO	1 (4)	1991-08-02	Quality Inn Hotel, Newark, New Jersey
Win	2–0	Luis Melendez	KO	1 (4)	1991-07-09	Blue Horizon, Philadelphia, PennsylvaniA
Win	1–0	Jose Gonzales	TKO	3 (4)	1991-06-10	Meadowlands Convention Center, Secaucus, New Jersey	Gatti's professional debut.

Titles in boxing[link]

Major World Titles:

• IBF Super Featherweight Champion (130 lbs)
• WBC Light Welterweight Champion (140 lbs)

Minor World Titles:

• IBA Welterweight Champion (147 lbs)

Regional/International Titles:

• USBA Super Featherweight Champion (130 lbs)

Post-career[link]

Gatti retired with a record of 40 wins and 9 losses, with 31 wins by knockout. On September 24, 2008, reports had surfaced that Gatti was considering a comeback against Montreal welterweight Antonin Decarie (now 25–1), the Canadian and North American Boxing Organization Champion.^[13]

Death[link]

On July 11, 2009, Gatti was found dead in a hotel in Ipojuca, Pernambuco, Brazil, where he was on vacation with his Brazilian wife, Amanda Rodrigues, and their 10 month old son.^[6][7][14] He was 37 years old. Gatti's widow was charged with first degree murder after the strap of her purse was found stained with blood. Gatti was to attend his sister's wedding the same day.^[15] Rodrigues could not explain how she spent more than 10 hours in the hotel room without realizing Gatti was dead. Former boxing champion Acelino Freitas, who was a close friend of Gatti, claimed Gatti and Rodrigues were having problems and were about to separate.^[16] On July 30, 2009, it was reported that the Brazilian police ruled Gatti's death as a suicide and his widow was released.^[17][18] However, on July 31, 2009, it was announced that the Canadian government would be seeking more information from the Brazilian authorities on Gatti's death. Gatti's family has also confirmed that there would be a second autopsy done in Quebec.^[19] On August 1, a pathologist hired by the ex-boxing champ's family said Brazilian authorities overlooked bruises on Gatti's body in the initial autopsy. Montreal medical examiners will perform further toxicology tests in Canada and are also awaiting more information on the scene of death from investigators in Brazil. "There were definite injuries that had not been seen by Brazilian authorities," Baden said.^[20]

The Brazilian authorities initially ruled Gatti's death a homicide, but further studies revealed it was a suicide.^[21] Yet, almost a year later, in March 2010, the circumstances concerning Gatti's death remain unclear.^[22] All the reports are now at the Quebec coroner's office awaiting further investigation. Coroner Jean Brochu said, "We've been waiting for this for a long time," and "it's going to take a while" before conclusions can be made, and released to the public.^[22] A shortage of staff at the coroner's office is being blamed for contributing to the delay of the investigation.^[22] Regarding a new toxicology report being prepared, Brochu quipped that it "may take a century to get the results"."^[22]

On August 23, 2011, it was reported that private investigators had concluded that Gatti's death was indeed a homicide.^[23]

In popular culture[link]

• Australian hardcore band Toe to Toe named their 2010 album Arturo Gatti.^[24]

References[link]