No One Is Buying The Arturo Gatti Suicide Story

Fight promoter Lou DiBella got a standing ovation at a memorial service when he said, "God knows that Arturo Gatti never quit in his life. Arturo Gatti did not quit in Brazil." Now that's how you work a crowd.

Pretty much everyone in attendance at the service in Jersey City last night (where the boxer trained) is of the opinion that Gatti did not hang himself in a Brazilian hotel room. Even a guy who has been hit in the head as many times as Mickey Rourke can see that. They aren't saying Gatti's wife is a psychotic killer or anything ... okay, maybe they are saying that.

Gatti's manager, Pat Lynch, has Brazilian lawyers on retainer and still hopes to put Amanda Rodrigues on trial in Canada (where Gatti lived and was buried) or another court in Brazil. Lynch says the investigation was "pathetic" and that Gatti would "never in a million years" have killed himself. He's not alone in that sentiment.

"Absolutely a hundred percent couldn't see him ever commit suicide," said Mike Skowrunski, Gatti's longtime assistant trainer. "He loved life. If he was going to kill himself, he would have called and said goodbye to me."

Isn't that what everyone says when someone they know commits suicide? "I would have know if he was sad!" Nobody ever sees it coming, which is kind of the point. Then again, that doesn't change the fact that Gatti's death and the ensuing police work was unbelievably shady and it does seem pretty likely that there was some foul play involved, even if it was accidental. That's Mickey Rourke thinks and he's a famous actor!

Actually, the words he used were "evil" and "bullshit." It takes him awhile to get to the angry cursing, but you knew Mick would come through in the end.

Mourners at Arturo Gatti's memorial service express disbelief that death was a suicide [Newark Star-Ledger]