It is sometimes said that you tell a smart boxer by just looking at his face. A clever boxer does not look like a boxer at all. Arturo Gatti wore the marks of his profession all over his face. But then few ever referred to Gatti as a smart boxer. He was a throwback, a brawler, a warrior.

Gatti was a two-weight world champion, but a fearless fighter more suited to the 1930s than the modern era. He often ignored defensive stances to stand toe-to-toe with his opponent in a battle of strength and guts. He became a blue-collar hero, regularly packing the Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City for his bouts. He was the most popular American television fighter in recent years. On four occasions The Ring magazine chose Gatti’s bouts as its fight of the year.

His trilogy of bouts with Micky Ward in 2002 and 2003 were for no title, but brought both fame, fortune and hero status. After their first contest, the pair ended up side by side in a hospital emergency room, where they formed an unlikely bond and friendship. Ward subsequently trained Gatti for bouts he took towards the end of his fighting career.

Nicknamed “Thunder”, Gatti carried the scars of battle with him. The blows he took squashed his nose. He suffered badly from cuts throughout his career, which resulted in numerous plastic surgeries. Many also feared that the punishment he took could lead to health problems later in life, although he did not live long enough for that. “I never expected Arturo to live to be 80 years old,” said Lou Di Bella, the promoter and former HBO television executive. “But it’s certainly a shock that he is dead at 37.”

Born in Italy in 1972, Gatti was raised in tough circumstances in Montreal, Canada, where he took up boxing. He was in line to be selected to box for Canada at the Barcelona Olympics, but in 1991 opted instead to turn professional in the United States, settling in Jersey City.

By 1995 he had a reputation as a thrilling fighter and moved into the world class, winning the IBF super-featherweight title with a points win over Tracy Harris Patterson at Madison Square Garden, New York. Gatti defended his title three times, once against Gabriel Ruelas, before moving up in weight and getting stopped by Angel Manfredy in 1997. He lost on two other occasions before running off four straight wins, setting up a big payday against Oscar De La Hoya in 2001. Although Gatti was knocked out in the fifth round of a one-sided fight, his almost cult-like following never wavered in its support. He captured the public imagination in the way, some said, of the Grateful Dead, the rock band, because the same people would come to his fights. But there was controversy, too. Just this week Joey Gamache is taking the New York State Athletic Commission to court over his 2000 bout with Gatti, alleging that Gatti was allowed to box despite having a significant weight advantage. Gamache was brutally knocked out and claims to still suffer from terrible migraines.

It was the trilogy with Ward that re-established Gatti’s status, however. He lost the first thrilling bout by a split decision, but won the other two. All were brutal, although by the third contest, he had successfully adapted his style under James “Buddy” McGirt, his trainer, to become a smarter boxer.

“I was sitting with him at the post-fight press conference — I can’t remember which one — and I looked at his hand and it was three times the normal size,” recalled Kathy Duva, of Main Events, his long-term promoter, “He gave me this goofy grin and said, ‘Yeah, I know. We’ll party tonight and I’ll go to the hospital tomorrow’.”

After the third Ward bout, he beat Gianluca Branco to win the WBC light-welterweight title in 2004. He twice successfully defended the title before losing it to Floyd Mayweather Jr in 2005, his corner pulling him out after six rounds of a horribly one-sided contest. Gatti could barely lay a glove on Mayweather.

That bout should have been the end for Gatti, but his popularity ensured that the offers would still keep coming in. In 2006 he was pitched in with Carlos Baldomir, a tough Argentinian who had recently taken the WBC welterweight title in an upset against Zab Judah, in an attempt to become a triple world champion. But Baldomir was too strong for a faded Gatti and he was stopped after nine painful rounds. Gatti had one more bout, against Alfonso Gómez, who had gained popularity on The Contender television show. He was to give Gatti one final, painful beating.

Over the course of his career Gatti fought 49 times. He won 40 of the bouts, 31 by knockout. None of his fights were draws. “I remember walking away from his last fight, and somebody walked up to him in the casino late at night and congratulated him,” Duva said. “And he said, ‘Why did he congratulate me?’ And I said, ‘He was excited to meet you’. And he kind of looked very surprised by that. He had no idea what an icon he was or how much he meant to people.”

Gatti is survived by his wife and son.

Arturo Gatti, boxer, was born on April 15, 1972. He was found dead on July 11, 2009, aged 37