Wife Suspected in Boxer Arturo Gatti's Murder

original story posted July 13, 2009

Amanda Carina Barbosa Rodrigues, 23, the wife of ex-boxer Arturo Gatti, is in the custody of police after he was found dead Saturday in San Paulo. Statements made by the woman during an interrogation, which come off as being contradictory, has resulted in the woman being the prime suspect in her husband's death, according to Brazilian authorities. She has denied involvement in the murder.

According to police, Rodrigues was the first to appear at the scene of her slain husband Saturday morning inside their vacation apartment that they were renting at the Porto de Galinhas resort in northeastern Brazil.

Milena Saraiva, a spokesperson for the Pernambuco state civil police said that the former junior welterweight boxing champion, Gatti, was strangled with

the strap of a purse which was discovered with blood stains at the crime scene.

Questions arose of her innocence when she was unable to explain how she spent close to 10 hours inside the apartment and was unaware of the fact that her husband was dead. She told police that a fight, not a bout, occurred between the two which culminated with her pushing her on the ground with her taking minor injuries to her elbow and chin. According to Rodrigues, her husband was drunk.

She has maintained her story that a third party was responsible for the act and probably committed the crime when Gatti traveled back to the apartment alone.

Their 1-year-old child, who was also in the house with the slain boxer, has been taken to Rodrigues' sister.

Gatti retired from boxing in 2007 with a record of 40-9 and 31 knockouts. His acclaimed fight series with Mickey Ward gave him the title of being one of the most exciting fighters of his generation. He won the super featherweight title in 1995 with a win over Tracy Harris Patterson and won the junior welterweight title in 2004. Gatti been coined “the human highlight film.”