If you don't know the story of the Luis Resto-Billy Collins, Jr. fight that took place June 16, 1983, here's the back story:
The two middleweights fought a 10-round fight at Madison Square Garden. Billy Collins was a 21-year old rising star; he was 14-0 (with 11 KOs), featured as an ESPN champion, and looked like a legitimate contender. He was trained by his father, Billy Collins Sr, from a young age to be a boxer. Luis Resto was a 28 year old Puerto Rican often described as a journeyman. His record was 20-8-2. He had a grand total of 8 KOs in his career, and was generally considered a light puncher.
Billy Collins was a big favorite to win the fight. They fought for the full 10 rounds, trading punches.
It has been reported that in between rounds, Billy told his father and the rest of his corner that when Resto hit him "it felt like he was hitting me with a brick". Billy Sr. asked him if they should stop the fight. "No", said Billy Jr., and the fight continued for the entire 10 rounds.
By the end of the 10th, Billy's face was messed up badly. He had huge welts around both eyes, which were blackened by the force of Resto's punches. The decision was obviously unanimous in favor of Resto. As Resto was shaking hands with Billy's corner (as is the standard in boxing), Collins Sr. noticed something was wrong with Resto's gloves. He claimed he felt nothing by knuckles, and that the padding in Resto's gloves was missing. He complained immediately to the ring officials, who grabbed Resto's gloves after the fight and investigate the claim.
The TV footage captured the moment: Collins Sr. starts yelling almost immediately after the hand shake... "Hey! All of the padding is out... it's all out! Commissioner, commissioner...there's no damn padding."
After a brief investigation, the New York State Police Laboratory report's conclusion was that Resto's gloves were tampered with by Panama Lewis, Resto's trainer; he was charged with cutting a 3/4 of an inch hole in them, and removing the padding so that Resto was hitting Collins with his bare knuckles. In other words, the protection that gloves are suppose to give was not there.
"We have scientific proof that the gloves were tampered with", said Jack Prenderville of the NY Athletic Commission, at the time.
Collins Jr. was severely injured by the fight. He had permanent eye damage in his left iris, which was teared. Permanently blurred vision. His promising boxing career was finished, done.
Less than a year after the fight at MSG, Billy Collins Jr. was DUI when his car crashed off the road and landed in a river, killing him. Was it a suicide, or just a plain old DUI? It doesn't matter, really. He was dead at 22. Billy Collins Sr. still holds Resto and Panama responsible.
"You don't think Resto knew he didn't have padding in the gloves. You don't think Panama Lewis took it out? I've had 15 years to think about it, and I know - I know - they did it."
Resto has denied this on many occasions. He says that Billy Collins wasn't cut after the fight, and that he rode the elevator with Collins Jr. after the fight; he said Billy was reading a boxing magazine with no problem. He's said that there were no holes in his gloves, and points to the weird path that the gloves took to get to the boxing investigator's office as proof of a setup. Namely the gloves went from his hands to Jack Prenderville, who was the highest ranking person at the fight. Prenderville gave the gloves over to Jack Graham, another official. Graham takes a day to get the gloves over to the police lab, because he forgot them in his car trunk.
Resto points out that the referee during the fight felt his gloves various times, and didn't notice anything wrong with them, but Billy Collins Sr. noticed something wrong on a quick hand shake?
Whatever the case, there were criminal charges pressed. Both Resto and Lewis were convicted of conspiracy, of assault, and of criminal possession of a deadly weapon (his fists). They both got jail time - Resto got three years (he was let out after serving two and half) and Lewis got around two years. Both were also permanently banned from boxing for life in the US, though Panama Lewis does do some training internationally.
Resto suffers from bouts of depression and lives in a basement in a Bronx boxing ring nowadays.
This is a story most have forgotten, but with the 25th anniversary of this event around the corner and the upcoming release of a documentary on the fight, expect it to make news again. Here is a preview of that documentary, called "Cornered":
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He was. I remember hearing about the Aaron Pryor fight years ago, though it was after the fact. My friend (older than I am, therefore around to watch it the first time) was telling us about how he kept taking punch after punch without flinching, like he was high on something. It was superhuman. It also speaks to a lack of integrity for Panama Lewis.
Wow. Isn't also the 25th anniversary of the Ray "Boom-Boom" Mancini fight coming up? The one where he ended up killing the Korean fighter? That was also very sad.
SML, you have got some good internetting here. Great story.
A friend of mine who went to the fight told me that he could hear the punches from the blue seats of the garden
I've heard about this story a while ago, but didn't really know all the details, etc. Everyone in the boxing community has heard the story. I've trained with Panama Lewis in South FLA in the past, but had I known the details of this story, I definately would not have been working with him. Its people like him that give boxing a bad name.
u sound stupid it ppl like him that give boxing fame and u didnt train with him in south florida...even if you did u still would have worked with him because he's dedicated and loyal about boxing thats what its about if you did work with him u would know thats not the kind of man he is he's extremely kind heartded snd will do anything for anybody...he loves the sport and works hard at it ppl mess up but they deserve anopther chance
ms u sound stupid u must not have seen the fight anyone who saw it would have noticed lewis pulling up restos gloves in beetween rounds and seeing the glove looking creased and clearly have no padding.you are even sounding more stupid saying he deserves another chance he wants hanging collins could have died in that fight
LIKE EVERYONE ELSE I DIDNT KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT THIS STORY I HEARD IT TODAY ON SIRIUS RADIOS FIGHT CLUB.
Today I read that Resto admitted that not only was the padding removed from his gloves, but that Lewis used plaster of paris on his wraps! Effectively creating a rock hard casing around his hands.
Collins Jr. wasn't mistaken when he commented to his corner that he felt like he was being hit "with a brick".
Nice...I wonder if a criminal case can now be brought, not just a civil one.
Both Resto and Lewis deserve some jail time.
Lewis and Resto got a little less than three years a piece for conspiracy to conceal a deadly weapon (pretty sure that was the charge) I think they should both get some charges more simmilar to manslaughter, or attempted murder, or attempted manslaughter or something.
No one has mentioned that Billy was undefeated,and was a heavy favorite in this fight.
He was only 21 years old and not even close to hais prime.
The actions of a lowlife cost young Billy a very promising career which ultimately cost a wonderful young man his life.
Panama Lewis has never owned up to his actions which makes me wonder who else knew what was going on.
When the NY atheletic commission held the hearing concerning the gloves, the inspectors were not present. How could they find all the culprits
and not have all witnesses. Maybe they were hiding something.
Thanks for remembering "Ray" or Billy as you know him but family called him Ray. He's my cousin and I was only 6 yrs.old when that happened but I"ll never forget it or forget HIM, so THANK YOU for keeping his memeory going as STRONG as HE was!!!!
I looked this fight up just now because I watched it on tv and saw it all, and recall Ferdie Pacheco demonstrating how Lewis made the incision high up on the glove and threaded all the padding out from the knuckle area by going through the top of the glove. The sneaky lowlife Lewis should have been banned from ALL boxing. I hope Resto spends his life with painful thoughts every single day. He earned it. Both men stink.
Wow, that's a crazy story. I hadn't heard of it before. Isn't Panama Lewis the same cat that was in Aaron Pryor's corner? That dude takes controversy with him in his briefcase.