The Billy Collins Jr Incident On June 16, 1983 Resto unexpectedly beat undefeated prospect Billy Collins, Jr. at Madison Square Garden in New York City in a 10-round unanimous decision. The fight was the undercard for a bout between Roberto Durán and Davey Moore. However, when Collins father and trainer, Billy, Sr., came to shake Restos hand, he discovered that Restos gloves felt thinner than normal. Screaming that he thought the gloves had no padding, Collins, Sr. demanded that the New York State Athletic Commission impound the gloves. An investigation revealed that someone had removed an ounce of padding from each of his gloves. Collins eyes were swollen shut by the end of the 10th round, and the rest of his face was so badly swollen that it was impossible to believe a light puncher could have inflicted such damage.[1] Collins suffered a torn iris and permanently blurred vision, ending his career. He died only months later when he drove his car into a culvert while intoxicated. Some commentators have speculated that the loss of his livelihood drove him into a downward spiral. Collins father has since speculated that his son committed suicide.[4][5] After a months investigation, the New York State Boxing Commission determined that Restos trainer, Panama Lewis, had removed the padding from Restos gloves. It also determined that Resto should have known the gloves were illegal. The commission suspended Restos boxing license for at least a year. Since most state boxing commissions honor sanctions from other states, this effectively banned Resto from boxing in the United States for the duration of the ban. The commission subsequently changed its rules to prevent anything like what happened to Collins from ever happening again.[1] Restos win was subsequently changed to a no contest.[3] In 1986, Lewis and Resto were both put on trial and found guilty of assault, criminal possession of a weapon (Restos hands) and conspiracy. Prosecutors charged that Resto had to have known the gloves were illegal, and therefore the bout amounted to an illegal 10-round assault. Prosecutors also argued that the plot was centered around a large amount of money bet on Resto by a third party, who had met with Lewis prior to the fight. Resto served 2.5 years in prison.[1] After 15 years of trying to regain his license, he was finally allowed to work as a cornerman by New York State.[1] For many years, he has lived in an apartment near the gym where he once trained, and has worked with youngsters there as well.[6] For almost a quarter-century, Resto publicly denied knowing that Lewis had tampered with the gloves. However, in 2007, Resto apologized to Collins widow, Andrea Collins-Nile, who attempted to sue the state of New York for not protecting her late husband. Resto also told Collins-Nile that in addition to removing padding from the gloves, Lewis soaked his hand wraps in plaster of Paris. This caused the wraps to harden into plaster casts similar to those used to set broken bones, which greatly—and illegally—increased Restos punching power. The hand wraps have never been confiscated. Resto also disclosed that Lewis would break apart pills used to treat asthma and pour the medicine into his water bottles, giving Resto greater lung capacity in the later rounds of a fight. Resto also visited Collins gravesite and said, Im sorry for what I did to you.[7] At a 2008 press conference, Resto said that he knew Lewis had taken the padding out of his gloves and had done so at least twice before. Resto said he didnt protest at the time even though he knew it was wrong. At the time, I was young, he said. I went along. [6] The 1983 incident and subsequent aftermath is covered in the HBO documentary Assault in the Ring. During this documentary, Resto appeared to confirm law enforcements theory that the incident was rooted in large bets on him.[7]
Posted on: Sat, 31 May 2014 10:42:12 +0000
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