Jackin4Beats Magazine

Former boxing champion Arturo Gatti, whose epic trilogy with Micky Ward branded him one of the most exciting fighters of his generation, was found dead in a hotel room in the posh seaside resort of Porto de Galihnas early Saturday.

Alves said police were investigating and it was unclear how the 37-year-old Canadian died.

“It is still too early to say anything concrete, although it is all very strange,” Alves said. He declined to provide any additional details.

Known for his straightforward punching and granite-like chin, Gatti captured the junior welterweight title in 1995, when he defeated Tracy Harris Patterson in Atlantic City, N.J. His brawling style and natural charisma made him a fan favorite, and he became one of New Jersey’s adopted sons while fighting some of his most memorable battles on the Boardwalk.

“His entire boxing career he fought with us, we’ve known him since he was 17,” Kathy Duva of promoter Main Events told The Associated Press. “It’s just an unspeakable tragedy. I can’t even find words. It’s a horror.”

Gatti defended his title three times before moving up in weight and getting stopped by Angel Manfredy in 1997. He lost twice more before running off four straight wins, setting up a big payday against Oscar De La Hoya.

Although Gatti was knocked out in the fifth round of a lopsided fight, his almost cult-like following never wavered in its support.

“He just captured the imagination of so many people,” Duva said. “We used to joke it was a crowd like the Grateful Dead’s, it was the same people every time.”

“He had no idea what an icon he was or how much he meant to people.”