From a press release:
FULLY EXPOSED AT LAST
News Conference To Reveal New Information Regarding Collins-Resto Scandal
Official Motion Being Filed Against New York State
Plus Never-Before-Seen Reenactment of Boxing's Dirtiest Crime
NEW YORK (March 28, 2008) - The date of June 16, 1983, forever will taint the history of New York sports and the world of boxing. That evening at Madison Square Garden, a shameful chain of events ended a promising young boxer's career and changed the lives of many associated with the tragic scandal.
Thursday, April 3, in New York City details will be revealed regarding the filing of a motion to reopen the case of the Collins-Resto scandal with the Federal Court of Claims against the State of New York.
Nashville, Tennessee's 'Irish' Billy Collins Jr. was an undefeated welterweight and fulfilling every boxer's dream of fighting in the world's most famous arena. Collins'opponent, Luis Resto, had his own aspirations by playing the spoiler role as the Bronx underdog who rose to the occasion in front of the hometown fans. What transpired in the Collins-Resto fight was so heinous it led to Resto's conviction, incarceration and lifetime ban from boxing.
Now, as the 25th anniversary of the incident approaches, new evidence has been uncovered during the making of the film Cornered--which exposes the true nature of the tragic crime to be much worse than previously reported or known.
"New revelations may lead to revived litigation," said Marc R. Thompson of Manhattan's Pulvers, Pulvers and Thompson, the attorney for Andrea Collins-Nile, widow of late the Billy Collins Jr.
Resto, who served prison time for the affair, currently lives in a basement in a Bronx gym and fights depression.
Cornered: A Life Caught in the Ring is a documentary directed by Eric Drath, and the trailer for the film has been making the rounds. I'm not pimping anything here; this was a very important, very unfortunate piece of boxing history, and it should never be ignored or forgotten.
Billy Collins, Jr., died about a year after the fight at Madison Square Garden when, while driving under the influence, his car crashed from a bridge into a river, killing him. He was only 22 years old -- his father, Billy Collins, Sr., still holds Resto and trainer Panama Lewis responsible, and many feel that Collins' death was a suicide, including his father. After the fight, Billy, Jr., suffered permanent eye damage and couldn't fight again.
The Collins family has long suffered with the loss of a young man that never got to realize his full potential. And Resto and Lewis will never escape blame or shame -- and rightly so.
All the way around, it's a tragic, terrible story, but with the 25th anniversary of the fight coming up, it would be just as shameful to not remember it.
Here's the trailer for Cornered: