Billy Collins Jr (L) and Luis Resto (R) during the fight
On June 16, 1983, boxing’s darkest secret unfolded under the bright lights of Madison Square Garden.
Billy Collins Jr., a 21-year-old rising star with an unbeaten record, stepped into the ring against Luis Resto, a journeyman with nothing to lose.
What Collins didn’t know was that this fight wouldn’t just cost him his record, it would cost him everything.
From the first round, Resto’s punches felt unnatural. He wasn’t known for his power, yet every shot seemed to crush bone.
Collins endured all ten rounds, his face grotesquely swollen, eyes barely open. After the final bell, as Resto walked over to shake hands, Collins’ father, also his trainer, grabbed Resto’s glove and froze. Something was wrong. The glove was far too hard.
What followed was pure horror. It was discovered that Resto’s gloves had been tampered with, nearly an ounce of padding removed from each.
But worse, his hand wraps had been soaked in plaster of Paris, which hardened as the fight went on, effectively turning his fists into bricks.
Collins suffered permanent eye damage and was told he could never fight again. Spiralling into depression, he died in a car crash less than a year later.
Whether it was truly an accident or the result of his despair remains uncertain. He was just 22.
Resto’s trainer, Panama Lewis, orchestrated the scheme and was banned from boxing for life.
Resto served time in prison, initially claiming ignorance, until 2009, when he admitted in a documentary that he was aware of the glove tampering and the plaster.
He also revealed that Lewis had given him a drug to improve his breathing during the fight.
The scandal triggered stricter glove inspections, more rigorous oversight, and permanent bans. But in the end, no policy could undo what had been done.
Billy Collins Jr. never got to fight again. Never got to be a champion. Never got to see justice in his lifetime.
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