Billy Collins (boxer)
| Billy Collins | |
|---|---|
| Statistics | |
| Real name | William Ray Collins Jr. |
| Weight(s) | Light middleweight |
| Nationality | American |
| Born |
September 21, 1961 Nashville, Tennessee, U.S. |
| Died | March 6, 1984 (aged 22) Antioch, Tennessee, U.S. |
| Stance | Orthodox |
| Boxing record | |
| Total fights | 15 |
| Wins | 14 |
| Wins by KO | 11 |
| No contests | 1 |
William Ray "Billy" Collins Jr. (September 21, 1961 – March 6, 1984) was an American professional boxer who competed from 1981 to 1983. His career was cut short after his final fight when he sustained serious injuries against an opponent who used illegal, tampered gloves and hands which had been soaked in plaster of Paris.
Billy Collins was born to a working-class family in Antioch, Tennessee of Irish descent. His father was a former welterweight professional boxer who had once fought world champion Curtis Cokes. He trained his son to follow in his footsteps. Also a welterweight, Collins won his first 14 fights as a professional, among them a decision over future world title challenger Harold Brazier.
Collins was matched against Puerto Rican journeyman Luis Resto at Madison Square Garden in New York on June 16, 1983, on the undercard of the Roberto Durán vs. Davey Moore light middleweight title fight. Collins entered the fight as a betting favorite but took a heavy beating and lost by a unanimous decision.
At the end of the fight, Collins' father and trainer, Billy Sr., noticed that Resto's gloves felt thinner than normal and demanded that they be impounded. A subsequent investigation by the New York State Boxing Commission concluded that Resto's trainer, Panama Lewis, had removed an ounce of padding from each glove. It made Resto's punches harder and more damaging to Collins. The fight result was changed to a no contest.
Lewis' New York boxing license was permanently revoked, effectively banning him from any official role in American boxing for life. Resto was suspended indefinitely and never fought again. In 1986, Lewis and Resto were tried and convicted of assault, conspiracy, and criminal possession of a deadly weapon (Resto's fists); prosecutors felt that Lewis' actions made the fight an illegal assault on Collins. Both served 2½ years in prison.
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