Assault in the Ring
Encyclopedia
Assault in the Ring is a 2009 sports documentary film
about a controversial boxing
match held at Madison Square Garden
on June 16, 1983. The fight has drawn comparisons to the Antonio Margarito-Miguel Cotto controversy.
and Luis Resto
. The fight was on the undercard for a bout between Roberto Durán
and Davey Moore
. Resto unexpectedly beat the highly touted Collins in a 10-round unanimous decision; however, after the fight, Resto's gloves are found to be missing a significant amount of padding, an illegal tampering which allowed Resto to inflict greater damage on Collins during the fight. What began as a boxing match turned into a life altering moment for both participants - Collins' career dreams ended and Resto and his trainer Panama Lewis
landed in prison for their illegal actions. The subsequent investigation and trial have led many to declare this bout the darkest day in boxing history.
The documentary is shot by former boxing manager Eric Drath, who hears the story of Luis Resto from various boxers. Drath feels compelled to try to exonerate Resto, whose life is in shambles in the aftermath of the fight and subsequent incarceration and ban from boxing. Drath says he believes Resto when he tells him he had no knowledge of the tainted gloves. In the course of the investigation, however, Drath uncovers a transcript of a police interview Resto gave during the criminal investigation. In the transcript, which was not admitted during Resto's assault trial, Resto admits that Panama Lewis had taken the gloves into the bathroom with Lee Black. When Drath confronts Resto with this evidence, Resto finally admits that Lewis had indeed taken the gloves.
The documentary then focuses on Resto admitting this knowledge to members of Collins' and his own family and asking for forgiveness. In the course of this journey, which takes him from the Bronx, to Virginia, to Miami, to Nashville, Resto admits he knew during the course of the fight that the gloves had been tampered with. He then admits he knew well before the fight that not only had the gloves been tampered with but that his hands were encased in plaster of paris.
The documentary also shows the disparity between the lives of the two main figures, Resto and Panama Lewis. While Resto's life is in ruins, losing his family and career and spending ten years living in the basement of the gym where he used to train, Lewis, while still officially banned from boxing, is still very active in the boxing community. Lewis is shown at the press conference for an upcoming fight featuring Zab Judah
, one of the fighters he trains, where he is still accepted by some in the boxing community while Resto is a pariah even with his own family. Lewis is still clearly making a good living as a trainer in the sport he is "banned" from, as evidenced by his gold chains and watches and stays at posh hotels, while Resto must catch a bus for seven hours to see his family.
Resto implicated Panama Lewis as the brain behind the conspiracy to taint the gloves, but many questions still remain. What was Lewis's motive for gambling his livelihood and reputation on a Collins-Resto fight? Collins was still a prospect while Resto was considered journeyman. While Resto's motives remain unclear, there were unproven allegations that a cocaine dealer had wagered a large sum of money on Resto to win. Initially adamant that Lewis was the one who took the gloves into the bathroom, when confronted by Lewis in the parking lot of a gym, he appears to back off his allegations somewhat, admitting that cornerman Artie Curley had wrapped at least one of his hands.
In addition to investigating Lewis as the primary factor to the incident, the documentary also speaks about the Collins family's litigious nature following the incident, suggesting that perhaps the family had taken advantage of Billy's injuries to get a large settlement from the state of New York State Athletic Commission, as well as forbidding Collins from further fights. The documentary suggests that this was possibly done to keep Billy from getting back in the ring, which likely would have invalidated the insurance claim they had made against the boxing organization.
By NEIL GENZLINGER
Published: July 31, 2009
The encounter it delves into couldn’t have been uglier, but Eric Drath’s “Assault in the Ring,” a documentary that will be broadcast on Saturday on HBO, has an unexpected elegance. It’s a carefully etched example of the ripple effect at work in real life, a study in how a single, brief incident can have shattering consequences that string out for decades in multiple directions.
Full Article here
Documentary film
Documentary films constitute a broad category of nonfictional motion pictures intended to document some aspect of reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction or maintaining a historical record...
about a controversial boxing
Boxing
Boxing, also called pugilism, is a combat sport in which two people fight each other using their fists. Boxing is supervised by a referee over a series of between one to three minute intervals called rounds...
match held at Madison Square Garden
Madison Square Garden
Madison Square Garden, often abbreviated as MSG and known colloquially as The Garden, is a multi-purpose indoor arena in the New York City borough of Manhattan and located at 8th Avenue, between 31st and 33rd Streets, situated on top of Pennsylvania Station.Opened on February 11, 1968, it is the...
on June 16, 1983. The fight has drawn comparisons to the Antonio Margarito-Miguel Cotto controversy.
Synopsis
The documentary examines a boxing match that took place between undefeated prospect Billy Collins JrBilly Collins (boxer)
William Ray Collins, Jr. was an Irish-American professional boxer whose career was ended after he sustained serious injuries against an opponent with illegal under-padded gloves.-Career:...
and Luis Resto
Luis Resto (boxer)
Luis Resto is a former welterweight professional boxer from Bronx, New York.-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...
. The fight was on the undercard for a bout between Roberto Durán
Roberto Durán
Roberto Durán Samaniego is a retired professional boxer from Panama, widely regarded as one of the greatest boxers of all time. A versatile brawler in the ring, he was nicknamed "Manos de Piedra" during his career....
and Davey Moore
Davey Moore (1980s)
Davey Moore was an American world champion boxer, the second of two boxers who shared the name in the late 20th century, and whose respective careers each ended with death by trauma around the age of thirty....
. Resto unexpectedly beat the highly touted Collins in a 10-round unanimous decision; however, after the fight, Resto's gloves are found to be missing a significant amount of padding, an illegal tampering which allowed Resto to inflict greater damage on Collins during the fight. What began as a boxing match turned into a life altering moment for both participants - Collins' career dreams ended and Resto and his trainer Panama Lewis
Panama Lewis
Carlos "Panama" Lewis is a well-known and highly controversial boxing trainer who achieved his greatest notoriety in the 1980s.-Early career:Lewis was a disciple of trainer Chickie Ferrara...
landed in prison for their illegal actions. The subsequent investigation and trial have led many to declare this bout the darkest day in boxing history.
The documentary is shot by former boxing manager Eric Drath, who hears the story of Luis Resto from various boxers. Drath feels compelled to try to exonerate Resto, whose life is in shambles in the aftermath of the fight and subsequent incarceration and ban from boxing. Drath says he believes Resto when he tells him he had no knowledge of the tainted gloves. In the course of the investigation, however, Drath uncovers a transcript of a police interview Resto gave during the criminal investigation. In the transcript, which was not admitted during Resto's assault trial, Resto admits that Panama Lewis had taken the gloves into the bathroom with Lee Black. When Drath confronts Resto with this evidence, Resto finally admits that Lewis had indeed taken the gloves.
The documentary then focuses on Resto admitting this knowledge to members of Collins' and his own family and asking for forgiveness. In the course of this journey, which takes him from the Bronx, to Virginia, to Miami, to Nashville, Resto admits he knew during the course of the fight that the gloves had been tampered with. He then admits he knew well before the fight that not only had the gloves been tampered with but that his hands were encased in plaster of paris.
The documentary also shows the disparity between the lives of the two main figures, Resto and Panama Lewis. While Resto's life is in ruins, losing his family and career and spending ten years living in the basement of the gym where he used to train, Lewis, while still officially banned from boxing, is still very active in the boxing community. Lewis is shown at the press conference for an upcoming fight featuring Zab Judah
Zab Judah
Zabdiel Judah is an American professional boxer. Judah has won five world titles between the junior welterweight and welterweight divisions, and is a former undisputed welterweight champion....
, one of the fighters he trains, where he is still accepted by some in the boxing community while Resto is a pariah even with his own family. Lewis is still clearly making a good living as a trainer in the sport he is "banned" from, as evidenced by his gold chains and watches and stays at posh hotels, while Resto must catch a bus for seven hours to see his family.
Resto implicated Panama Lewis as the brain behind the conspiracy to taint the gloves, but many questions still remain. What was Lewis's motive for gambling his livelihood and reputation on a Collins-Resto fight? Collins was still a prospect while Resto was considered journeyman. While Resto's motives remain unclear, there were unproven allegations that a cocaine dealer had wagered a large sum of money on Resto to win. Initially adamant that Lewis was the one who took the gloves into the bathroom, when confronted by Lewis in the parking lot of a gym, he appears to back off his allegations somewhat, admitting that cornerman Artie Curley had wrapped at least one of his hands.
In addition to investigating Lewis as the primary factor to the incident, the documentary also speaks about the Collins family's litigious nature following the incident, suggesting that perhaps the family had taken advantage of Billy's injuries to get a large settlement from the state of New York State Athletic Commission, as well as forbidding Collins from further fights. The documentary suggests that this was possibly done to keep Billy from getting back in the ring, which likely would have invalidated the insurance claim they had made against the boxing organization.
Reviews
Punches in the Ring, Effects Far BeyondBy NEIL GENZLINGER
Published: July 31, 2009
The encounter it delves into couldn’t have been uglier, but Eric Drath’s “Assault in the Ring,” a documentary that will be broadcast on Saturday on HBO, has an unexpected elegance. It’s a carefully etched example of the ripple effect at work in real life, a study in how a single, brief incident can have shattering consequences that string out for decades in multiple directions.
Full Article here
External links
- Official Site
- http://www.emmyonline.tv/sports/
- http://www.secondsout.com/usa-boxing-news/usa-boxing-news/assault-in-the-ring-captures-sports-emmy