The family of slain boxer Arturo Gatti is heading to Brazil to claim his body for a funeral in Montreal as his wife, accused in the murder, tries to win her freedom.

 Gatti, 37, was found dead this weekend and his wife, 23-year-old Brazilian Amanda Rodrigues, is being detained as a suspect.

Rodrigues is petitioning Tuesday to be released from jail after being accused of strangling the former boxing champion with her purse strap as he drunkenly slept.

Lawyer Celio Avelino told The Associated Press he asked a court Tuesday to release Rodrigues while the investigation continues. He expects the court to rule Wednesday at the earliest.

Rodrigues called police after finding Gatti's body Saturday in their rented apartment in a resort in northeastern Brazil. Her lawyer says that indicates her willingness to help authorities.

Family disapproved

Police say she is the only suspect and have ruled out the possibility of a third person entering the apartment and killing Gatti, or that he committed suicide.

Friends and family of the boxer say they disapproved of the relationship between Gatti and Rodrigues, who were constantly fighting.

"She vandalized his car, threw stuff at him, at one point she gave him a black eye," said Jeremy Filosa, a broadcaster and friend of Gatti's.

"People were making fun of him saying, 'here's a world champ, and his girlfriend is beating him up.' "

Final weeks

Gatti was in court last month to face charges of assaulting his wife.

At the time he told CTV News his wife wanted to drop the charges, and travel with him to Brazil.

Rodrigues denies any wrongdoing in the death and says she awoke at 6 a.m. on Saturday to find Gatti dead in the couple's rented room at the Porto de Galinhas resort.

However, police say that Rodrigues has not adequately explained how or why she stayed in the room for 10 hours after Gatti was apparently killed.

None of the allegations have been proven in court.

Investigation

Investigator Moises Teixeira alleged Monday that Rodrigues likely acted alone in the death, as no one else could have entered the couple's room.

"It was technically impossible for a third person to have been in the flat," Teixeira told The Associated Press.

"The investigation isn't finished, but we continue to think she did this alone."

Meanwhile, Rodrigues' lawyer said his client is too "fragile" to have killed the boxer.

Police are also looking into Rodrigues' claim that the couple had a fight the night before he was found, and that he was drunk and returned to the hotel room alone afterwards.

Major story

Tom Phillips, a freelance journalist working in Brazil, said the death has become a major story across the country.

"The local people are very shocked because it's a very chic, sophisticated resort where people go to get away from the city and lie on the beach and spend lots of money on cocktails. It's not the place where you normally get murdered," he told CTV News Channel.

Successful career

Gatti was a former junior welterweight champion who compiled a 40-9 record during a 16-year professional career.

Gatti, who was born in Italy but grew up in Montreal, had an all-or-nothing fighting style that often led to bloody punch ups in the ring, making him a fan favourite.

He retired from professional boxing in 2007. After spending much of his boxing career in the United States, Gatti moved back to Montreal, where he got involved in the real estate business.

- with files from ctv.ca, The Associated Press -