Arturo Gatti Jr., the son of late boxing icon and Hall of Famer Arturo Gatti, has died at 17, the World Boxing Association confirmed Wednesday.
“The WBA and the boxing world mourn the passing of Arturo Gatti Jr. His journey was just beginning, yet his spirit will live on — now reunited with his legendary father among the stars,” the organization’s statement read.
Reports of the teenager’s death began circulating on social media and were also confirmed by Gatti Sr.’s former bodyguard, Chuck Zito in a social media post.
“It’s with a heavy heart that I have to say,…R.I.P. to 17-year-old Arturo Gatti Jr.,” Zito wrote on Instagram.
Gatti Jr’s trainer, Moe Latif, also confirmed the news in a post on social media.
“It is unfortunately not a rumor or a joke. Arturo is gone,” Latif wrote in an Instagram story while pleading for privacy during this trying time.
DAZN Boxing said it was “deeply saddened” by the news of Gatti Jr.’s death.
Gatti Jr. was found dead in Mexico, where he lived with his mother and Gatti’s widow, Amanda Rodrigues. Additional details of his death were unclear.
Gatti Jr. sought to follow in his late father’s footsteps as an amateur boxer who hoped to compete in the Olympics before turning pro. He was 10 months old when Gatti Sr., 37, was found dead under mysterious circumstances in a hotel in Brazil in July 2009. Rodrigues was initially charged with murder after Brazilian authorities ruled his death a homicide. However, the cause of death was later ruled a suicide after the coroner’s autopsy report was released and the charges against Rodrigues were dropped.
WBC president Mauricio Sulaiman also acknowledged Gatti Jr.’s death to ESPN’s Salvador Rodriguez.
“The World Boxing Council and the global community of our sport join in prayer for the profound loss of Arturo Gatti Jr. at the age of 17. May God rest his soul and help his family find peace,” Sulaiman said.