Ex-Canadian boxing champ dead in Brazil

Arturo Gatti, a Canadian boxer who became world featherweight champion, was found dead Saturday in an apartment in Porto de Galinhas, Brazil, police said.

Investigators said Gatti, 37, was dressed only in his underwear and had blood on his neck and head, the Canadian Broadcasting Corp. reported. The death was being investigated as a homicide, investigators said.

Police had not released a cause of Gatti’s death Saturday afternoon.

He had traveled to Brazil with his wife and their 10-month-old baby.

Gatti, a native of Italy, was brought to Canada as a child by his parents and grew up in Montreal. He lived in the United States after turning professional in 1991 but returned to Montreal when he retired two years ago.

Gatti moved up in weight during his career, fighting his last professional bouts as a welterweight.