Boxing - it's one of the few sports I can tolerate watching. Most sports I'd rather
just play with a few friends instead of watching, but with combat sports, I can appreciate not
being involved. As an Irishman, I have a tiny wee pinch of experience with boxing, though
most of that occurred outside the gym - to re-iterate, I appreciate not being involved.
That is especially true when it comes to the fight at the focus of this video. On the surface
it appears to be fairly standard boxing match between two evenly matched fighters, but there's
something more going on here - this fight will change both men's lives. Not long after
the match, one will be in prison, the other will be dead.
Luis Resto was born in 1955 in Puerto Rico. At the age of nine his family moved to the
Bronx in New York. In eight grade, he elbowed a math teacher in the face, which got him
put in a rehabilitation centre for the mentally disturbed. Shortly after his release six months
later, his uncle signed him up for boxing lessons.
Resto stuck with boxing, and in 1977 he made his professional debut, which he won with
a points decision. Throughout his career he was a competent boxer, with Golden Gloves
wins under his belt, but not a truly exceptional talent - I mean of course, in the boxing world;
obviously any decent professional boxer is a very skilled individual in comparison with
your average joe, and I'm just a YouTuber so I'm even lower than that.
Resto racked up a respectable record of 20 wins and 8 losses. With eight of those wins
being by knockout and the rest by points, he was regarded as a light puncher. Technically
proficient but not a knockout artist. On June 16th 1983 Luis Resto was scheduled
to fight in the undercard at an event in Madison Square Garden. His opponent was to be Irish
Billy Collins Jr. In contrast to the veteran Resto, the younger Collins was undefeated,
with 14 fights and 14 wins. 11 of those were knockouts. The promising young fighter, with
his father and trainer, Billy Sr. in his corner was largely expected to beat Resto, whose
trainer was Panama Lewis, but an upset victory by the more experienced boxer was not inconceivable.
Overall, it was set to be an exciting matchup.
And when the bell rang that day, it proved to be. The two fighters immediately opened
up on eachother in an exchange of fast punches, and this basically continued throughout the
fight - it seemed like a fairly evenly-matched bout. Except for one thing.
As the fight progressed, Collins' face was becoming visibly battered and cut. This was
in contrast to Resto, who didn't look too much worse for wear than he did stepping into
the ring. This was a little odd as Resto was not known for his devastating punching power,
as well as the fact neither man was dominating the fight. But Collins' face showed significantly
more damage. This did not deter Collins however, and despite
the damage, he continually held his ground. His composure started to falter as he was
obviously hurt, but he never lost his determination, and the fight was still fast-paced right to
the end. The fight went the full 10 rounds. The judges gave the decision to Resto - Collins
was visibly weakened in the later rounds and his face was a swollen, bloody mess.
After his victory, Resto made his way to Collins' corner and hugged him. The 21 year-old had
suffered the first defeat of his career, and a fairly brutal beating, but had showed tremendous
heart the whole way through. As Resto shook hands with Collin's team, Billy Collins Sr.
noticed something that was a massive cause for concern.
Resto's gloves felt as though they were missing a lot of their padding. Billy Sr. immediately
called for the athletic commissioner. Something was definitely up, the gloves were seized,
and an investigation began.
Billy Collins Jr. was very badly beaten, and he suffered a torn iris, permanently blurring
his vision. The young man's promising career was over. This sent Collins into a depression,
and he turned to alcohol as his life spiraled out of control. Less than a year later, Collins
got behind the wheel of his car while drunk, and sent it into a ditch. At 22-years-old,
Billy Collins Jr. was dead. His father theorised his son's death was more suicide than accident.
The investigation by the New York State Athletic Commission determined that Resto's trainer,
Panama Lewis had removed an ounce of padding from each of Resto's gloves, affording the
opponent less protection. They concluded Luis Resto must have known that his gloves had
been illegally modified. Both men had their boxing licenses suspended indefinitely.
In 1986, the two were put on trial for the incident, and found guilty of assault, criminal
possession of a weapon and conspiracy. It was thought the cheating was part of a plot
to win large amounts of money, which had been bet on Resto by a third party.
Resto served two and a half years in prison. For decades he claimed to not know Lewis had
tampered with his gloves, but eventually, the weight of Billy Collins' death proved
too much, and he confessed in 2007 to knowing the cheating was taking place, and he apologised
to Collins' family. Resto revealed not only had the gloves been
modified, but his hand wraps had been soaked in plaster of Paris, hardening them like medical
casts. This was apparently not even the first time this had happened. Lewis would also put
asthma medication in Resto's water during fights, giving his lungs more power to maintain
his stamina.
Resto has said that he knew what was happening was wrong, but at the time he did nothing
to stop it, putting his inaction down to his youth. He has had to live with ruining a man's
life as well as his own career. He's said he's been to Billy's grave to apologise and
will regret the incident for all his life. He is apparently broke, and works in construction
to make his money. In contrast, Panama Lewis has a house in Florida and an apartment in
Las Vegas. Resto has been quoted as saying "Panama can go to hell".
Both men have since worked as trainers in boxing gyms, but have not been let back in
the ring. Resto applied for another boxer's license every year after his release from
prison. Every year he was rejected. Soon he was too old to box, and started applying for
a second's license to be in the corner instead. Should he be allowed back in the ring? In
any capacity? Resto has said he knows what he did was wrong, and he's since payed his
dues; and boxing is a sport of second chances. But this isn't really like any other cheating
scandal is it? The winner of the Tour de France could be
one Flinstone vitamin away from a chemical catastrophe, but that kind of cheating is
not quite the same as if he were to cut his opponent's brakes before the race. Luis Resto
didn't just break the rules, he endangered his fellow competitor, and ultimately caused
him career-ending and life-changing injuries. I'm sure he wouldn't attempt to cheat again
if he was let back in the ring, but I feel like that's not really the point. Maybe some
might say that if he is no longer at risk of breaking the rules again, he should be
given a clean slate, and a chance to start a career. I say he should just appreciate
the fact he wasn't convicted of murder and leave it at that.
I do believe people can make mistakes and move past them. But I also watched this fight
in its entirety and it's a grim 40 minutes when you're armed with all the information.
It's actually kind of heartbreaking. People can change but you can't undo what's already
been done. Maybe Luis Resto doesn't deserve a lifetime of suffering for his involvement
in this tragedy but he also doesn't deserve to darken the ring with his presence again,
but that's just what I think. And my opinion is only worth as much as you value it. What
do you think? Let me know in the comments, and I'll see you soon for the next video.