The face of boxer Billy Collins Jr. after his career was cut short by injuries from his opponents tampered gloves. His life took a downward spiral and he died in a car crash at the age of 22
Undefeated Billy Collins Jr. (14-0, 11 KO) was a junior middleweight (154 lb.) prospect on his way up. Luis Resto (20-8-2, 8 KO) was a light-punching journeyman.
Resto beat Collins’ eyes shut and his skin purple and blue. Collins suffered a torn iris and his vision was forever blurred. Collins could no longer fight. Collins’ father and trainer Collins Sr. went up to shake Resto’s hand out of sportsmanship, only to be overcome with rage at how thin Resto’s glove was. He demanded the gloves be impounded. Resto’s padding had been removed, and Resto himself admitted years later that his handwraps had been soaked in plaster of Paris, a substance that hardens into plaster casts.
Collins began drinking and became violent without boxing in his life. He would later drive his car into a cement wall in 1984, ending his life at age 22.
Resto and his trainer, Panama Lewis, were banned for life from the sport. Resto served 2 1/2 years in prison for assault, while boxing suffered a tragedy that shows just how dangerous cheating can be in this spor
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