Tweet
Ghosts and Ashes
Benny Paret, Lynn James, Willie Claasen, Johnny Owen, Duk-koo Kim, David Thio, and Marco Nazareth, I offer a moment of silence and another ceremonial ten-count to you gentlemen, and the approximately 500 other men who died in the ring or as a result of injuries inflicted in the ring: Ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding.
These men lost their lives while trying to earn a livelihood and entertain fans around the world. They didn't know that last fight would be their last experience as living, breathing, athletes, or as men with hopes for a future. Of course, they understood that they were involved in a bloody, violent sport. But I doubt they understood just how tenuous their mortality was at the time. They were in there to earn a living and to entertain, but instead, they unknowingly took part in their own execution. Their ghosts carry on as reminders of the grave dangers of the sport.
Muhammad Ali walks with a slow gait. His face is a motionless mask. His hands tremor and his voice can often barely rise above a whisper. He's a pale shadow of his once animated, clown prince figure and bold embodiment of strong, confident, manhood. The man who takes credit for Ali's fate, Joe Frazier, isn't in as good of shape in comparison as he thinks. His speech is slurred, and he walks with an awkward, halted gait. He's no longer smoking, but rather slowly cooling to faint memory through scattered ashes. Many more men are now alive, but functionally old beyond there years; physically and mentally defeated: Wilfred Benitez, Meldrick Taylor, Gerald McClellan, Emile Griffith and the list goes on and on, so long-too long. These men will likely die before they otherwise would have, and their minds are not as sharp as they could be, because of the sport of boxing. This is a tough, ugly, extremely dangerous business, and that's with doctors and scientists coming together constantly through the years to make it as safe as possible. It's still barbaric and brutal by nature even with all of the safety precautions and reforms that have come about. It's the cost of the business.
With all that said, I'll write right here and now that Antonio Margarito is a cheater, who tried to make a dangerous sport more brutally dangerous, and should never be allowed to fight in the squared-circle again.
I planned on saving this article until late January when Antonio Margarito attempts to get his license back from the California State Athletic Commission (CSAC). I can't wait. It's been on my mind since the days immediately following Margarito's knockout loss to Shane Mosley on January 24th of this year. Hopefully my editors will republish this column in January 2010 when Margarito and his trainer, Javier Capetillo, attempt to have their licenses reinstated after the one-year ban imposed by the CSAC. I'm sure there will be new developments to add to the column by then. Right now, I think this issue is particularly ripe because of the brilliant new HBO documentary "Assault in the Ring"; a topic that I'll address later in this column.
This is the business we've chosen. . "Hyman Roth", The Godfather Part II.
We know that boxers understand the brutality and dangers of their profession, but I'm not sure we in the media and fellow fans take stock of our roles. Most boxing fans are really "fight" fans. Our favorite fighters tend to be the ones who are willing to get involved in exchanges, and take some to give some. The big "elephant in the room" is that somebody can get really hurt during a fight like that. The tactical, cautious, fighters like Floyd Mayweather Jr., for their entire technical masterwork, don't excite us like a bloodnguts fighter like the late Arturo Gatti. Of course we as fans aren't like the savage spectators from the ancient Roman Coliseums. We don't want to see anybody hurt. All of us, at one time or another, have called on the referee to "stop the fight", because we realize a fighter has had enough. However on the flip side, when a fighter comes back from the brink of a brutal defeat and turns the tide, it excites us to know end. We are impressed by their ability to absorb so much punishment, and fight on-for us.
What we don't acknowledge, but deeply understand is that the human brain in not made for the types of punishment that boxing exposes it too. When we see an Ali or McClellan, we sort of feel an awkward mix of sympathy and perhaps slight guilt. They are that way for the way they fought, how long they fought and for the entertainment for we, the boxing public. When we read about or hear of a fighter who died from injuries received in the ring, the feelings are amplified. If we saw the fight where the fatal injuries occurred, the feeling starts to border on devastating. "Okay, we sat there and cheered on while a man was being murdered." We feel some guilt, think of the ceremonial ten-count, and then we move on with the business of boxing.
We know it's a brutally dangerous business, but we want to be entertained. However, we also don't want to see anyone injured. We want every reasonable precaution to be in place to protect our warriors. We don't want them hurt; though we know the occasional tragedy is inevitable. If we're going to be a complicit participant in this sometimes savage business we have chosen, we want a guilt-free conscious. Most importantly, we want these fighters to be protected as much as possible given the circumstances. It's unnatural and borderline barbaric for one man to repeatedly punch another man about the body and skull with taped fists and heavily padded gloves. The hands are weapons. When a man decides to alter these already dangerous weapons by cheating for a "competitive" advantage, it's unforgivable and criminal. Such a man and any co-conspirators need to be removed from the sport permanently.
Assault in the Ring
One man who cheated and his co-conspirator were adjudicated guilty as criminals and removed from the sport permanently. On June 16th, 1983, boxer Luis Resto, and his trainer Panama Lewis, ruined another man's life. The new HBO documentary, "Assault in the Ring", tells the under told story of how former fringe contender, Luis Resto, severely beat a man named Billy Collins Jr. with altered and loaded boxing gloves. We'll never get the whole story of who all knew what in Resto's corner, but certain facts are indisputable. Going into the fight, Collins was an undefeated young fighter on the rise, with an outstanding knockout percentage. Resto on the other hand was a light-punching journeyman who was trying to get his career back on track. Resto also had a controversial trainer in his corner by the name of Panama Lewis. Lewis was looked upon as a shady character in the sport, and his reputation was somewhere close to the gutter.
The fight took place in Madison Square Garden, and was supposed to be a solid test for the 22 year old Collins, who was expected to emerge victorious. He most certainly was not supposed to wind up on the receiving end of a savage beating. Collins' face began to show serious signs of swelling very early in the bout from the light-fisted Resto. Over the course of the fight, Resto battered and pummeled the previously handsome mug of the young Collins; who tried to fight back gamely, and never gave up. By the time the final bell rang, Collins looked like a special effects victim in a movie, and Resto raised his hand in victory; thinking he was on his way to the top of the ranks. When Resto went over to offer hugs and handshakes to the Collins corner, the father/trainer, Billy Collins, Sr. felt one of the gloves and knew something was terribly wrong. He instantly could tell that the gloves were missing some padding. The gloves had clearly been doctored, despite the BS assertions by Panama Lewis of, "those are the gloves they gave us".
After the fight, the referee and other New York State boxing officials confiscated the gloves and realized that an ounce of padding had been removed from each one. This obviously exposed young Collins to more of Resto's bare knuckles during the course of the fight, and added to the impact of the potentially deadly blows. Despite the claims of ignorance on the part of Resto and his corner, a subsequent hearing resulted in him and his trainer being permanently banned from the sport. The local DA also pursued charges against Resto and Lewis for assault, conspiracy, and criminal possession of a deadly weapon. Both men were convicted and spent 2.5 years in prison. In a startling recent development: Resto, broken and trying to find some type of peace and redemption, claimed that Collins received a deadlier beating than previously imagined. He says that a "plaster of paris" substance was applied to his handwraps. This substance which is made up of elements that causes it to harden, is used to make everything from casts to forms of cement. Taking this fact into account with padding being removed from the gloves, and it's no wonder how Billy Collins, Jr. turned out the way he did in the aftermath.
Collins had his eyes swollen shut during the course of the beating. He suffered a torn iris and various problems with his vision. Thinking he would lose his career and livelihood, Collins began to drink heavily and abuse drugs. He became increasingly violent in his home life and alienated himself from some of his friends. On March 6, 1984, Billy Collins Jr. crashed his vehicle in an apparent act of suicide and died instantly at the age of 22.
Benny Paret, Lynn James, Willie Claasen, Johnny Owen, Duk-koo Kim, David Thio, and Marco Nazareth, I offer a moment of silence and another ceremonial ten-count to you gentlemen, and the approximately 500 other men who died in the ring or as a result of injuries inflicted in the ring: Ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding.
These men lost their lives while trying to earn a livelihood and entertain fans around the world. They didn't know that last fight would be their last experience as living, breathing, athletes, or as men with hopes for a future. Of course, they understood that they were involved in a bloody, violent sport. But I doubt they understood just how tenuous their mortality was at the time. They were in there to earn a living and to entertain, but instead, they unknowingly took part in their own execution. Their ghosts carry on as reminders of the grave dangers of the sport.
Muhammad Ali walks with a slow gait. His face is a motionless mask. His hands tremor and his voice can often barely rise above a whisper. He's a pale shadow of his once animated, clown prince figure and bold embodiment of strong, confident, manhood. The man who takes credit for Ali's fate, Joe Frazier, isn't in as good of shape in comparison as he thinks. His speech is slurred, and he walks with an awkward, halted gait. He's no longer smoking, but rather slowly cooling to faint memory through scattered ashes. Many more men are now alive, but functionally old beyond there years; physically and mentally defeated: Wilfred Benitez, Meldrick Taylor, Gerald McClellan, Emile Griffith and the list goes on and on, so long-too long. These men will likely die before they otherwise would have, and their minds are not as sharp as they could be, because of the sport of boxing. This is a tough, ugly, extremely dangerous business, and that's with doctors and scientists coming together constantly through the years to make it as safe as possible. It's still barbaric and brutal by nature even with all of the safety precautions and reforms that have come about. It's the cost of the business.
With all that said, I'll write right here and now that Antonio Margarito is a cheater, who tried to make a dangerous sport more brutally dangerous, and should never be allowed to fight in the squared-circle again.
I planned on saving this article until late January when Antonio Margarito attempts to get his license back from the California State Athletic Commission (CSAC). I can't wait. It's been on my mind since the days immediately following Margarito's knockout loss to Shane Mosley on January 24th of this year. Hopefully my editors will republish this column in January 2010 when Margarito and his trainer, Javier Capetillo, attempt to have their licenses reinstated after the one-year ban imposed by the CSAC. I'm sure there will be new developments to add to the column by then. Right now, I think this issue is particularly ripe because of the brilliant new HBO documentary "Assault in the Ring"; a topic that I'll address later in this column.
This is the business we've chosen. . "Hyman Roth", The Godfather Part II.
We know that boxers understand the brutality and dangers of their profession, but I'm not sure we in the media and fellow fans take stock of our roles. Most boxing fans are really "fight" fans. Our favorite fighters tend to be the ones who are willing to get involved in exchanges, and take some to give some. The big "elephant in the room" is that somebody can get really hurt during a fight like that. The tactical, cautious, fighters like Floyd Mayweather Jr., for their entire technical masterwork, don't excite us like a bloodnguts fighter like the late Arturo Gatti. Of course we as fans aren't like the savage spectators from the ancient Roman Coliseums. We don't want to see anybody hurt. All of us, at one time or another, have called on the referee to "stop the fight", because we realize a fighter has had enough. However on the flip side, when a fighter comes back from the brink of a brutal defeat and turns the tide, it excites us to know end. We are impressed by their ability to absorb so much punishment, and fight on-for us.
What we don't acknowledge, but deeply understand is that the human brain in not made for the types of punishment that boxing exposes it too. When we see an Ali or McClellan, we sort of feel an awkward mix of sympathy and perhaps slight guilt. They are that way for the way they fought, how long they fought and for the entertainment for we, the boxing public. When we read about or hear of a fighter who died from injuries received in the ring, the feelings are amplified. If we saw the fight where the fatal injuries occurred, the feeling starts to border on devastating. "Okay, we sat there and cheered on while a man was being murdered." We feel some guilt, think of the ceremonial ten-count, and then we move on with the business of boxing.
We know it's a brutally dangerous business, but we want to be entertained. However, we also don't want to see anyone injured. We want every reasonable precaution to be in place to protect our warriors. We don't want them hurt; though we know the occasional tragedy is inevitable. If we're going to be a complicit participant in this sometimes savage business we have chosen, we want a guilt-free conscious. Most importantly, we want these fighters to be protected as much as possible given the circumstances. It's unnatural and borderline barbaric for one man to repeatedly punch another man about the body and skull with taped fists and heavily padded gloves. The hands are weapons. When a man decides to alter these already dangerous weapons by cheating for a "competitive" advantage, it's unforgivable and criminal. Such a man and any co-conspirators need to be removed from the sport permanently.
Assault in the Ring
One man who cheated and his co-conspirator were adjudicated guilty as criminals and removed from the sport permanently. On June 16th, 1983, boxer Luis Resto, and his trainer Panama Lewis, ruined another man's life. The new HBO documentary, "Assault in the Ring", tells the under told story of how former fringe contender, Luis Resto, severely beat a man named Billy Collins Jr. with altered and loaded boxing gloves. We'll never get the whole story of who all knew what in Resto's corner, but certain facts are indisputable. Going into the fight, Collins was an undefeated young fighter on the rise, with an outstanding knockout percentage. Resto on the other hand was a light-punching journeyman who was trying to get his career back on track. Resto also had a controversial trainer in his corner by the name of Panama Lewis. Lewis was looked upon as a shady character in the sport, and his reputation was somewhere close to the gutter.
The fight took place in Madison Square Garden, and was supposed to be a solid test for the 22 year old Collins, who was expected to emerge victorious. He most certainly was not supposed to wind up on the receiving end of a savage beating. Collins' face began to show serious signs of swelling very early in the bout from the light-fisted Resto. Over the course of the fight, Resto battered and pummeled the previously handsome mug of the young Collins; who tried to fight back gamely, and never gave up. By the time the final bell rang, Collins looked like a special effects victim in a movie, and Resto raised his hand in victory; thinking he was on his way to the top of the ranks. When Resto went over to offer hugs and handshakes to the Collins corner, the father/trainer, Billy Collins, Sr. felt one of the gloves and knew something was terribly wrong. He instantly could tell that the gloves were missing some padding. The gloves had clearly been doctored, despite the BS assertions by Panama Lewis of, "those are the gloves they gave us".
After the fight, the referee and other New York State boxing officials confiscated the gloves and realized that an ounce of padding had been removed from each one. This obviously exposed young Collins to more of Resto's bare knuckles during the course of the fight, and added to the impact of the potentially deadly blows. Despite the claims of ignorance on the part of Resto and his corner, a subsequent hearing resulted in him and his trainer being permanently banned from the sport. The local DA also pursued charges against Resto and Lewis for assault, conspiracy, and criminal possession of a deadly weapon. Both men were convicted and spent 2.5 years in prison. In a startling recent development: Resto, broken and trying to find some type of peace and redemption, claimed that Collins received a deadlier beating than previously imagined. He says that a "plaster of paris" substance was applied to his handwraps. This substance which is made up of elements that causes it to harden, is used to make everything from casts to forms of cement. Taking this fact into account with padding being removed from the gloves, and it's no wonder how Billy Collins, Jr. turned out the way he did in the aftermath.
Collins had his eyes swollen shut during the course of the beating. He suffered a torn iris and various problems with his vision. Thinking he would lose his career and livelihood, Collins began to drink heavily and abuse drugs. He became increasingly violent in his home life and alienated himself from some of his friends. On March 6, 1984, Billy Collins Jr. crashed his vehicle in an apparent act of suicide and died instantly at the age of 22.
Comment