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What Happened to Luis Resto? – The Cheater Who Ended William Collins’ Boxing Career

Published 03/19/2022, 6:05 AM EDT

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Luis Resto will always be remembered as one of the biggest villains of boxing, who shook the entire sporting community with his hideous act in an in-ring affair against William Collins on June 16, 1983.

Resto became the first man to batter Collins in a pro-boxing bout, which later turned out into a NO-Contest when administrators came across the news of Resto’s unpadded gloves. The aftermath of the fight created severe controversy, which somehow made the bout even more recognizable than the headliner of the night between Roberto Duran and Davey Moore.

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Interestingly, neither Resto nor Collins ever fought in a professional boxing matchup again. William Collins died nine months after the fight in a tragic car accident, whereas Luis Resto remained a ‘cheater’ for the boxing fans all his life. While it’s been almost four decades since that fight, the combat world continues to recall it to this day.

Luis Resto vs William Collins- What happened that night?

Journeyman Resto already had multiple losses on his resume when he locked horns against an undefeated William Collins in a stacked Madison Square Garden in New York. Both men dragged each other to the distance in a 10-round collision with Luis Resto earning a unanimous decision win.

Meanwhile, the injury scars on Collin’s face raised several questions. His father and trainer, Billy Sr., especially demanded to examine Luis Resto’s gloves, to which Resto protested. However, The New York State Athletic Commission (NYSAC) reportedly chimed into the scene. They discovered a layer of Resto’s paddings were removed from the gloves.

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Luis Resto used tampered gloves to hurt his opponent, which could have caused fatality inside the ring. More than three years after the fight, lawmakers found Resto and his trainer guilty of criminal activity in-ring. Resto received prison imprisonment of three years and a lifetime ban from boxing.

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His trainer also received a lifetime ban from the sport and 6 months of imprisonment. The drama didn’t end here. While boxing fans cursed Luis Resto for his activities, the real incident came into the limelight several years later.

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According to reports, Resto admitted to using plaster under the gloves, which caused damage to Williams’ face. It means it was a worse beat down than offering a bare-knuckle action to an opponent. Although Luis Resto’s trainer denied the claims, the boxer didn’t back off from citing what had actually happened that night.

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In a media interaction, Resto said, “I should have said something. I lived with it for 24 years. I had to let it go. I’m sorry I kept my mouth shut.”

 “I went to see Collins’ ex-wife. She accepted my apology. I went to the cemetery, too, to show my respect to Billy Collins. I told Billy, ‘I’m sorry for what I did to you.’ “

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Despite Resto’s regret, it doesn’t change the fact that he caused one of the biggest cheating in the history of the sport, which shook the entire fanbase. Having said so, Resto vs Collins will always be an eye-catchy element in the boxing radar.

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Written by:

Raj Sarkar

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A senior boxing writer at EssentiallySports, Raj Sarkar is a mass media graduate who is currently pursuing his master’s degree in broadcast journalism. In addition to his current role, he has worked with the MMA team at EssentiallySports and has interviewed prominent fighters such as Ritu Phogat and 'The Red King' Rory MacDonald. Combining his bachelor's degree with his adoration for combat sports, he has earned a combined 3000 plus bylines over the last two years.
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Edited by:

Vibhanshu Kumar