Arturo Gatti Jr, the son of Canadian boxing legend and former world champion Arturo Gatti, has died aged 17.

The teenager, who was aiming to follow in his father’s footsteps as a boxer, was reportedly found dead in Mexicoon Tuesday.

Close friend and bodyguard Chuck Zito shared the news on social media on Wednesday, writing: “It's with a heavy heart that I have to say,…. R.I.P. to 17-year-old ARTURO GATTI JR,” accompanying a series of pictures of Gatti Jr and his father. “My condolences to Arturo Gatti Seniors – Mom, Sisters, Brothers, and his daughter Sophia.”

Gatti Jr’s long-time coach Moe Latif confirmed the news, writing on social media: “It is unfortunately not a rumor or a joke. Arturo is gone.”

Tributes have flooded in for Gatti Jr, who started boxing at the age of six and was an amateur fighter.

Former WBC light heavyweight champion Jean Pascal wrote on social media: “Sixteen years after losing his father, the world loses another Gatti.

“The son of a legendary fighter, one legacy. Both gone too soon. May they reunite in peace. My heart is heavy; life can be unfair sometimes.”

Gatti Jr was with his mother, Amanda Rodrigues Gatti, in Mexico, with Latif reportedly due to join them this week as he prepared to turn professional.

“I would like to have a career like my father,” he said in 2019. “Our styles are very similar. I have the same warrior side as him.”

He was born 10 months before his father was found dead in Brazil in 2009, with the death ultimately ruled a suicide.

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