Earlier this week I kept seeing articles about Luis Resto and Billy Collins Jr. and this documentary called Cornered. So I did a little research to find out what all the media attention was about. Oh my goodness, what I found out angered me to point I cannot describe. Here is the basis of what happened. On June 16, 1983 at Madison Square Garden in front of 25,000 people Luis Resto, a tough journeyman, was fighting hot prospect Billy Collins Jr. Resto was supposed to be a great test for Collins because he was a light hitting journeyman. So at the end of the 10 round fight, Resto is declared the winner of the fight via UD. Collins's eyes were severely bruised and swollen, but something did not seem right. Well when Resto was in Collins's corner shaking hands, Billy Collins's father Billy Collin Sr felt Resto's bare hand in the glove. Immediately Collins Sr. yelled someone check the gloves something was wrong. What was wrong was there was no padding in the gloves of Resto meaning he was essentially hitting Billy Collins Jr. with his bare knuckles.
After an investigation it came out that Resto's trainer, Panama Lewis, had cut a whole in the gloves of Resto and removed 2 of the 4 ounces of padding in each glove. Resto and Lewis's punishment was a lifetime ban from boxing and each ended up going to jail for the incident. They both stayed in jail for about two and a half years. Resto and Lewis were convicted of two counts of second degree assault, conspiracy and fourth degree criminal possession of a weapon (Resto’s hands) with Lewis also convicted of tampering with the outcome of a sporting event. As for Collins, his lifetime ban of boxing came on June 16, 1983 when he was beaten half to death if not to death depending on who you ask. He suffered from a torn iris which could not be repaired essentially leaving him half blind. Then on the evening of March 7, 1984, Collins drunk and depressed drove his 1972 Olds Cutlass into a concrete abutment at 68 mph and flipped over into a dried up creek bed that bore his family’s name. Some believe it was due to the alcohol he got in an accident and some believe it was suicide. However what everyone believed was that was not supposed to be how the life of Billy Collins Jr went.
As this documentary was being made, Luis Resto found the widow of Billy Collins Jr and admitted that not only was the padding removed from his gloves but his tape wrap was soaked in plaster paris. It made sense why during the fight Collins said it felt like he was getting hit with rocks in the ring. A boxing match had turned into a brutal illegal attempted murder beating. There is no excuse or explanation for the events that took place on June 16, 1983. How cruel and heartless you would have to be to take the padding out of your gloves and soak your wraps in plaster. He may as well just brought bricks in the ring and attacked Collins, that way it would have been known what was really going on.
You know as I read the articles and I write this post I am still angered. I am angry because of the cruelty some people display towards one another. Then I wonder what has been done to prevent something like this from happening again. Has this happened again? I think back to when Vivian Harris said no one checked the gloves of Junior Witter when they fought. Then Harris was knocked out and said he felt like he was hit with something a little extra hard. Now that is not to accuse Witter of foul play, but statements like that make you think. Then I think to these small venue cards that are not sanctioned or properly monitored. Is someone using dirty tactics in those fights? So many things cross my mind when I think of this. As much as I love the sport of boxing I do realize there are some cruel cheating people like Panama Lewis and Luis Resto who are still in the sport. What do we do?
For more info about the documentary Cornered go to http://www.theycametofight.com/. Also if you want to see the whole Billy Collins Jr.-Luis Resto fight, it is on youtube in 5 different parts.
2 comments:
That really is a messed up story. I don't understand the motive. Why did take the padding out and use plaster? Was there some type of beef?
No beef, just cruel for no reason. When you take out the padding in the gloves, you are essentially hitting someone with your bare knuckles. Now with the plaster on the tape, it makes your fist tight and hard like a rock. So it was just like hitting someone over and over with some fist sized rocks. Panama Lewis, who was the trainer, had been accused of illegal tactics before. In a fight between Aaron Pryor and Alexis Arguello, Lewis was the trainer for Pryor. Anyway between rounds you could hear Lewis repeatedly ask for a bottle that he had mixed. Well the only liquid allowed in a corner is water and he was not making water. So when Pryor drank from this bottle, he seemed to get a lot of energy quick and ended up knocking out Arguello. I don't know, some people just cheat and are cruel, no other explanation. Even though he has served jail and Resto admitted that Lewis tampered with the gloves, Lewis will not admit it. He said Resto was confused and did not know what he was talking about. It is just a sad sad situation.
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