Luis Resto (boxer)

Last updated

Luis Resto
Born (1955-06-11) June 11, 1955 (age 69)
Juncos, Puerto Rico
Nationality American
Statistics
Weight(s) Welterweight
Light middleweight
Height5 ft 7.5 in (171 cm)
Reach68.5 in (174 cm) [1]
Stance Orthodox
Boxing record
Total fights31
Wins20
Wins by KO8
Losses8
Draws2
No contests1

Luis Resto (born June 11, 1955) is a Puerto Rican former boxer based in The Bronx, New York, who was convicted of assault and conspiracy for his part in a cheating scandal.

Contents

A journeyman boxer all his career, Resto was convicted in 1986 and jailed for two and a half years, for assault, criminal possession of a weapon and conspiracy. Resto had illegally altered his gloves by removing the padding and soaking his hand wraps in plaster in a boxing match against Billy Collins Jr. This gave Resto an unfair advantage that damaged Collins' eyesight, with Resto giving him a torn iris and permanently blurred vision. Collins was unable to box again after the fight with Resto, and later died in a car crash on March 6, 1984. [2]

Personal life

Luis Resto was born in Juncos, Puerto Rico, and moved to the Bronx when he was nine years old. Late in his eighth grade year, he elbowed his math teacher in the face, and spent six months in a rehabilitation center for the mentally disturbed. Not long after getting out, an uncle signed him up for boxing lessons in a Bronx gym. [3]

A two-time New York Golden Gloves amateur state champion in the welterweight division, Resto trained at the Police Athletic Leagues Lynch Center. [4] He won both the 1975 and 1976 147 lb Golden Gloves Open Championships. Resto defeated Miguel Hernandez in the finals of the 1976 147 lb Open Championship.[ citation needed ]

Professional career

Early career

Resto made his professional boxing debut on February 4, 1977, with a points defeat of Julio Chevalier. He scored his first professional knockout in his third professional fight, against Mike Lytell in May of the same year. Resto remained unbeaten with a 7-0 record until his eighth bout, a knockout loss to Bruce Curry in March 1978.

Through 29 fights Resto had compiled a record of 20-8-1, but with only eight wins by knockout, which made him appear to be a light-punching, high-level journeyman. [5] Although he was ranked 10th in the world, he was practically unknown outside the New York area. [3]

Bout with Billy Collins Jr.

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 Resto's hand, he discovered that Resto's 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 then filled them with chalk. [6] 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. [3]

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. [7] [8]

After a month's investigation, the New York State Boxing Commission determined that Resto's trainer, Panama Lewis, had removed the padding from Resto's gloves. It also determined that Resto should have known the gloves were illegal. The commission suspended Resto's 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. [3] Resto's win was subsequently changed to a no contest. [5]

In 1986, Lewis and Resto were both put on trial and found guilty of assault, criminal possession of a weapon (Resto's 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 on a large amount of money bet on Resto by a third party, who had met with Lewis prior to the fight. Resto served 2 and a half years in prison. [3]

After 15 years of trying to regain his license, he was finally allowed to work as a cornerman by New York State. [3] For many years, he has lived in an apartment near the gym where he once trained, and has worked with youngsters there as well. [9]

For almost a quarter-century, Resto publicly denied knowing that Lewis had tampered with the gloves. However, in 2007, Resto apologized to Collins's 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 Resto's 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's gravesite and said, "I'm sorry for what I did to you." [10] 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 did not protest at the time even though he knew it was wrong. "At the time, I was young," he said. "I went along." Resto was 28 years old at the time of the incident. [9]

The 1983 incident and subsequent aftermath is covered in the Showtime documentary Assault in the Ring . During this documentary, Resto appeared to confirm law enforcement's theory that the incident was rooted in large bets on him. [10]

Professional boxing record

31 fights20 wins8 losses
By knockout83
By decision125
Draws2
No contests1
No.ResultRecordOpponentTypeRound, timeDateLocationNotes
31NC20–8–2 (1) Billy Collins Jr. NC10 Jun 16, 1983 Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York, U.S.Originally a UD win for Resto, later ruled a NC after he used tampered gloves and handwraps
30Win20–8–2Sammy HorneUD12April 7, 1983Sands Casino Hotel, Atlantic City, New Jersey, U.S.
29Win19–8–2Robert SawyerTKO12 (12), 1:33December 16, 1982 Sands Casino Hotel, Atlantic City, New Jersey, U.S.
28Loss18–8–2Kevin PerryPTS10October 22, 1982Felt Forum, New York, New York City, U.S.
27Win18–7–2Frank MedinaTKO2 (10)October 7, 1982Felt Forum, New York, New York City, U.S.
26Win17–7–2Giovanni BovenziUD10July 4, 1982 Riverfront Coliseum, Cincinnati, Ohio, U.S.
25Win16–7–2Domingo AyalaTKO7 (10)September 16, 1981Madison Square Garden, New York, New York City, U.S.
24Loss15–7–2Manuel JiminezPTS10Jun 20, 1981 Coliseo Roberto Clemente, San Juan, Puerto Rico
23Win15–6–2Jose VallejoPTS10Mar 5, 1981 Trujillo Alto, Puerto Rico, Puerto Rico
22Loss14–6–2Nino GonzalezKO9 (10), 1:13November 25, 1980Madison Square Garden, New York, New York City, U.S.
21Win14–5–2Ismael MartinezPTS10November 6, 1980San Juan, Puerto Rico
20Win13–5–2Jorge MojicaKO8 (?)October 9, 1980 San Juan, Puerto Rico, Puerto Rico
19Win12–5–2Juan HidalgoUD10June 6, 1980Felt Forum, New York, New York City, U.S.
18Draw11–5–2 Adolfo Viruet SD10March 28, 1980Felt Forum, New York, New York City, U.S.
17Win11–5–1Pat HallacyUD10October 26, 1979Madison Square Garden, New York, New York City, U.S.
16Loss10–5–1Vernon LewisSD10August 18, 1979National Sports Hall, Georgetown, Guyana
15Win10–4–1Earl LiburdUD8April 6, 1979 Felt Forum, New York, New York City, U.S.
14Win9–4–1Gary CoatsTKO4 (8)March 16, 1979 Cincinnati Gardens, Cincinnati, Ohio, U.S.
13Win8–4–1Reggie FordPTS10February 18, 1979Georgetown, Guyana
12Loss7–4–1John Baker MuwangaPTS8February 15, 1979Nordstrandhallen, Oslo, Norway
11Win7–3–1Mark HarrisKO7 (10)October 1, 1978 Georgetown, Guyana
10Loss6–3–1Luis PrimeraKO1 (10)July 29, 1978Nuevo Circo, Caracas, Venezuela
9Loss6–2–1 Mario Guilloti PTS8April 22, 1978 Teatro Ariston, Sanremo, Italy
8Loss6–1–1 Bruce Curry TKO2 (10), 2:22March 18, 1978 The Aladdin, Las Vegas, Nevada, U.S.
7Win6–0–1Fighting HunksUD10December 17, 1977 Lionel Roberts Stadium, Charlotte Amalie, U.S. Virgin Islands
6Win5–0–1Anthony DanielsPTS6November 18, 1977 Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York, U.S.
5Draw4–0–1Sam HailstockPTS6June 18, 1977 Long Island Arena, Commack, New York, U.S.
4Win4–0Tyrone PhelpsKO4 (6)June 3, 1977Sunnyside Gardens, Queens, New York, U.S.
3Win3–0Mike LytellKO2 (?)May 6, 1977Sunnyside Gardens, Queens, New York, U.S.
2Win2–0Ronald WhymsUD6April 19, 1977 Westchester County Center, White Plains, New York, U.S.
1Win1–0Julio ChevalierPTS4February 4, 1977 Sunnyside Gardens, Queens, New York, U.S.

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References

  1. ↑ "Boxer Forced to Retire After Sustaining Career-Ending Injuries in 1983". International Business Times . March 23, 2021.
  2. ↑ Katz, Michael (June 17, 1984). "CRUELEST PUNCHES FOLLOW FIGHTER'S FINAL RING LOSS". The New York Times.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Pearlman, Jeff. Bare Knuckles. Sports Illustrated , October 26, 1998.
  4. ↑ Luis Resto – Boxrec Boxing Encyclopaedia
  5. 1 2 Luis Resto
  6. ↑ "Resto: Wraps were doctored with plaster in fight vs. Collins". ESPN. April 4, 1998. Retrieved August 18, 2018.
  7. ↑ Margarito’s Situation Brings Back Bad Memories
  8. ↑ Silver, Mike (December 1997). "The Ten Dirtiest Fights of All time". The Ring. 76 (12): 48.
  9. 1 2 Mladnich, Robert. Resto Comes Clean: He Knew Gloves Were Loaded. The Sweet Science, April 6, 2008. Archived April 15, 2008, at the Wayback Machine
  10. 1 2 "HBO: Assault in the Ring". hbo.com. July 18, 2009. Retrieved July 18, 2009.
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