Assault in the Ring
| Assault in the Ring | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | Eric Drath |
| Produced by | Eric Drath Jenna Rosher |
| Starring |
Luis Resto Panama Lewis |
| Distributed by | HBO |
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Release date
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Running time
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83 minutes |
| Language | English |
Assault in the Ring (formerly Cornered: A Life in the Ring) is a 2008 sports documentary film about a controversial boxing match held at Madison Square Garden on June 16, 1983.
The documentary examines a 1983 boxing match that took place between undefeated prospect Billy Collins Jr. 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 were found to be missing a significant amount of padding, an illegal tampering which allowed Resto to increase his punches' effectiveness against Collins during the fight and cause tremendous damage [1]. What began as a boxing match turned into a life altering moment for both participants - Collins' eyesight was damaged so badly his career immediately ended, and nine months later, Collins committed suicide; Resto and his trainer Panama Lewis landed in prison for their illegal actions.
![[1]](http://assets.sbnation.com/imported_assets/98233/billycollins.jpg?_ga=1.142746421.1067783751.1448016208){kind=link}
The documentary was 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, essentially turning his barely-padded fists into hard casts, thus explaining the horrific damage he inflicted on Collins.
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