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Police said Rodrigues, a native Brazilian, could not explain how she spent nearly 10 hours in the room without noticing that Gatti was already dead — especially given that he suffered a head wound and blood was found on the strap and the floor.
Reports say the two were on the verge of separating and that Gatti was drunk when he went back to their room Friday night.
The couple’s 1-year-old son was unhurt.
Gatti, a former junior welterweight champion, was a courageous brawler who trained at gyms from Paterson to Jersey City.
Nicknamed “Thunder,” Gatti won the junior welterweight title in 1995 by beating Tracy Harris Patterson. He instantly became an idol of boxing fans from Jersey and Philly, not only for his charisma outside the ring but because of his straightforward, give-it-all boxing style.
It mattered little to them that Oscar de la Hoya knocked their hero out in the fifth round of their fight. Virtually all of Gatti’s AC bouts sold out, with upwards of 11,000 fans a night chanting his name.
Although he was born in Italy and grew up in Montreal, Gatti lived in Jersey City and Hoboken during his professional career and remained here after retiring two years ago with a career record of 40-9, with 31 knockouts.
He signed his first professional contract with legendary manager Lou Duva at 18 and never left Duva’s Main Events promotion company in Totowa.
Several of his fights made headlines — including his loss to Floyd Mayweather Jr. — but most will remember Gatti for a three-bout series against Micky Ward.
The first tilt — a 10-round slugfest — barely went to Ward in May 2002, in what Ring Magazine called the fight of t year. Gatti knocked down Ward down in the third round of the rematch, but that didn’t keep the fight from going the distance. Gatti won unanimously.
The rubber match was held — where else? — on the Boardwalk in June 2003. Gatti broke his hand, got knocked down in the sixth, and still came away with the decision.
Gatti last fight was a loss in seven rounds to Alfonso Gomez in July 2007. Fans still cheered, but Gatti — who’d been trained by Ward for the bout — announced his retirement that night.
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