34 lBOXING NEWSlJULY 4, 2019 http://www.boxingnewsonline.net
SAVAGE:
Collins’
injuries reveal
the extent of
the beating➤ every major American city. A successful amateur
with numerous Golden Glove accolades attached
to his growing profile, Resto dreamed of
the Montreal Olympics, a path that
would ultimately be traversed by
grand names of the sport such
as Michael Spinks and Ray
Leonard. Unsuccessful at the
trials despite having been
considered a favourite, Resto
shut the door on his Olympic
fantasies, and stirred up
new hopes when turning
professional in 1977 during a
turbulent period in New York,
with the infamous electricity
blackout just a few months
away.
“All I wanted to do was become
champion,” Resto remembers.
“The world champion. I had been a good
amateur. People like Aaron Pryor and Gerry
Cooney were my friends and if you were
ever to ask them about
Resto then they would say,
‘Great fighter’. I worked so
hard when I was younger to
become champion. I lived
clean. No drinking and no
drugs. That would come later
on. But early in my career
I did everything they asked
me to because I wanted
to be a champion like
Muhammad Ali.”
A decent New York attraction thanks to his vested
exploits and energetic style, Resto built his ledger
throughout the Empire City, turning up in various
boroughs and leaving with the win. Resto’s profile
grew with each victory, as did his confidence. A
handsome brawler with a traditionally masculine
occupation, Resto unsurprisingly attracted attention
from desirable females. The popular welterweight
enjoyed a social scene not conducive to discipline or
focus but, like many before him, and plenty since,
Resto was unable to resist the New York nightlife and
his ring form inevitably began to suffer.
After an unexpected loss to former Wilfred Benitez
victim, Bruce Curry, in March 1978, Resto went from
hot prospect to boxing afterthought in the space
of a few months. Excessive partying coalesced
with Resto facing higher-level opposition in places
like Venezuela and Norway, and this nightmare
combination saw him fall from 4-0 to 7-4-1 within two
years. The professional code, a fresh start for Resto
after amateur heartbreak, was a circuit crawling with
various temptations and dangers. The playful Bronx
youngster, a community darling, was not mature
enough to deal with any of it.
“Ask anyone when I was coming up,” he insists. “No
drinking for Resto. No drugs for Resto. None of this
s**t until I started boxing. I’d just go missing for days
and nights at parties and nightclubs. People would
be coming up saying, ‘Resto, why haven’t you been in
the gym?’ Or ‘Resto, your trainers are looking for you.’
I can offer nothing why I ended up that way as I had
trained so hard all my life and had a picture of what
I wanted. Maybe I was just young and stupid. That
sounds about right.”
As New York continued its drastic slide from
cultural playground to real-life Gotham, Resto’s
irrelevance lingered as he traded wins and losses
without ever threatening to concern any contenders
near the business end of the sport. Luis toiled onNew York events with his hard work earning just
enough dollars to impress a certain brand of woman.
An undercard dweller with the rest of his
career seemingly mapped out, earning
small purses while attempting to
quench expensive thirsts, Resto
knew just enough to stay afloat.
A keep-busy fight against an
enthusiastic Irish-American
contender named Billy
Collins shouldn’t have been
significant for Resto. Instead,
it changed his, and so many
lives forever.
For those not familiar with
this tale, Resto and Collins
exchanged many punches
inside Madison Square Garden,
while headliners Roberto Duran and
Davey Moore warmed up inside the
New York Knicks dressing room for their
imminent battle. After 10 rounds had been
completed, Collins was unrecognisable fromI HURT SO MANY
PEOPLE THAT NIGHT
AND ALL I CAN DO IS
TRY AND LIVE WITH
WHAT I’VE DONE”
REMORSEFUL:
But Resto is yet to
be forgiven by
boxing