Ring of Death

On August 1 HBO will premiere “Assault in the Ring,” the story of junior middleweight contender Luis Resto and his assault of Billy Collins Jr. on June 16, 1983 inside the boxing ring at Madison Square Garden.

As the story goes, Resto’s trainer, the much reviled Panama Lewis had removed an ounce of padding from his boxer’s gloves before the fight in which the once promising career of Collins Jr. was shattered with a beat down that ultimately left him with blurred vision. Collins Jr. died in a car accident soon after, but many in the boxing community blame the brutal beating at the hands of Resto for his demise.

Both men were convicted of assault, conspiracy and criminal possession of a deadly weapon. Prosecutors also convicted Lewis on charges of tampering with a sports contest. The two men were banned from sanctioned boxing. The documentary was directed by Eric Drath.