Former world boxing champion Arturo Gatti, who was raised in Montreal, was found dead in northeastern Brazil on Saturday.

Gatti was found dead in a hotel room in Porto de Galinhas in what Brazilian police described as suspicious circumstances.

Police investigator Edilson Alves told The Associated Press that it was unclear how the 37-year-old died. "It is still too early to say anything concrete, although it is all very strange," Alves said.

Gatti's wife, Amanda, and 10-month-old son were unharmed.

Nicknamed "Thunder," Gatti was born in Italy but grew up in Montreal, where he learned to box.

Gatti moved to New Jersey as a teen and it was there that he began to embark on his professional career marked by some of the most exciting bouts in recent years in the sport.

"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 built his reputation on a slew of slugfests that featured his ability to give and absorb a tremendous amount of punishment. On four separate occasions, he engaged in bouts recognized by Ring Magazine as the fight of the year.

He often lived outside the ring like he fought, arrested most recently in April for assault.

After winning the International Boxing Federation 130-pound junior lightweight title in 1995 against Tracy Harris Paterson, he defended the title three times. Included were knockout wins over Wilson Rodriguez and Gabriel Ruelas, bouts in which he was badly hurt before rebounding to win.

The Ruelas bout got the nod as Ring's fight of 1997.

Gatti lost the belt to Angel Manfredy, and many wrote him off when he lost two stirring battles with Ivan Robinson, the first of which was named fight of the year in 1998.

Unable to avoid punches Gatti was able to regroup in his career in large part thanks to new trainer James (Buddy) McGirt, who tried his best to get his charge to resist the urge to brawl in every bout.