New York Post Reports
Boxing champ Arturo Gatti's wife was arrested yesterday by Brazilian cops who suspect she strangled him with her purse strap, as people close to the slain fighter said they had long feared that either "he was going to kill her or she was going to kill him."
Gatti's wife, Amanda Carina Barbosa Rodrigues, 23, was being held yesterday because the Brazilian native can't explain how she didn't realize for nearly 10 hours that he was dead in a beach-resort apartment where they were staying with their 1-year-old son.
She is expected to be charged with his murder. A police spokeswoman told Reuters: "She [Rodrigues] is the only suspect."
Police said they believe that Gatti - who was found dead early Saturday - was strangled with a handbag strap, and that the granite-jawed boxer also suffered a head injury.
The bloody strap was found in the apartment at the Porto de Galinhas resort.
Gatti, 37, reportedly was drunk and arguing with his wife Friday night at a resort bar.
Gatti's friends yesterday were mourning his murder - and were not surprised to hear that Rodrigues might be involved. The former junior-welterweight champ and his wife were extremely jealous and often squabbled when out socially and drinking in New York, Montreal and Brazil, sources told The Post.
From the beginning of their relationship, his friends, family and boxing advisers warned that she was young, immature and gunning for the millions he had earned in the ring, sources said.
One source said that their disputes were sometimes violent and that she did not hesitate to physically attack him. He told people close to him that she threw a lamp at him last month in Montreal, where they moved after living in Weehawken, NJ.
"The feeling was that either he was going to kill her or she was going to kill him," the source said.
Gatti's family, who sources said were not the least bit shocked by Rodrigues' arrest, learned of the murder while attending his sister Anna's wedding in Florida.
"A lot of people in his inner circle felt that this wasn't the right girl for him," said Carl Moretti, VP of the boxing promotional company Top Rank Inc.
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Let the hype for Floyd Mayweather vs. Juan Manuel Marquez begin.
The two fighters are launching an official press tour, beginning at noon Sunday in Los Angeles, to promote their July 18 matchup in the ring at MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.
It does not include a stop in Mayweather's hometown of Grand Rapids.
Instead, the tour is scheduled to span two continents in six days, including appearances Monday in Los Angeles, Tuesday in New York and both Thursday and Friday in London.
"Now that Floyd is back, we need to let the world know about it," Leonard Ellerbe, CEO of Mayweather Promotions, said in a press release. "The fight against Marquez will be one to remember, and I am looking forward to getting on the road so the media and the fans can really get a sense of how great July 18th will be for the sport of boxing."
The bout, which is being billed as "Number One/Numero Uno," is scheduled for 12 rounds.
HBO Pay-Per-View is providing live telecast coverage, beginning at 9 p.m. The suggested retail price is $49.95.
"Mayweather and Marquez are two of the best, therefore it is fitting that they will be making appearances in three of the best cities in the world," said Richard Schaefer, CEO of Golden Boy Promotions.
"This fight has universal appeal with Mayweather stepping back into the ring and accepting the challenge of the great Juan Manuel Marquez. I know fans around the country and around the world will want to be a part of this unprecedented night of boxing," he added.
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