Deaths rock Boxing

A series of high-profile deaths recently rocked the boxing world.

Latest is the fatal shooting of Vernon Forrest in Atlanta in July 25. Forrest was a 1992 Olympian, teammate of Oscar Dela Hoya, who became a two-division champion.

Forrest was the only boxer who beat Shane Mosley twice in 2002 earning him Ring Magazine’s Fighter of the Year award.

He dropped by a gas station, with his 11-year-old godson, the night of July 25 when muggers attacked him while trying to add air to a flat tire. He ran after one of the muggers and exchanged fire with him. When he came back to the station, another man came out of nowhere and shot him at least seven times at the back.

The other boxer who bit the dust was Arturo Gatti. He’s a Canadian boxer of Italian descent. Gatti won Ring Magazine’s Fighter of the Year award four times – 1997, 1998, 2002 and 2003. He was the world champion in the junior welterweight division in 2004.

His 2004 triology with Irish boxer Micky Ward is a legend. The two boxers split the first two fights. On their third fight, Gatti injured his right hand, and for several rounds, fought one-handed but eventually won the bout.

He was found dead in a hotel in Brazil July 11, with his widow, now in prison, as prime suspect.

On July 1, boxing fans got news of Alexis Arguello’s suspicious suicide. The famous Nicaraguan won the featherweight, junior lightweight and lightweight titles. He fought the likes of Bobby Chacon, Ray “Boom-Boom” Mancini and Bazooka Limon in an illustrious career that earned him induction to the Hall of Fame.

Arguello tried to annex a fourth title against Aaron Pryor in 1982 but was stopped in the 14th round in what Ring Magazine regarded as Fight of the Year and later elevated to Fight of the Century.

The bout, however, was controversial. Arguello dominated Pryor in 13th round of the scheduled 15 rounds. Before answering the bell for the 14th round, Pryor drank from a “black bottle” given by his trainer, the notorious Panama Lewis. Pryor came out smoking in the 14th and kayoed Arguello. (In a return bout, Pryor kayoed Arguello again in 10 rounds.)

The explanation regards the liquid was: peppermint schnapps mixed with water because Arguello has upset stomach. 

Panama Lewis is a dirty trainer. This scumbag is associated with the heartbreaking story of Billy Collins, Jr.

Collins (14-0, 11KOs) was a promising boxer from Nashville, Tennessee. In Nov. 16, 1983, he fought Luis Resto, a journeyman, in the undercard of a Roberto Duran–Davey Moore title fight at Madison Square Garden.

The fight was brutal and in a rare footage, Collins told his corner that Resto was “stronger than I thought!” His father, who was his trainer, asked Billy if he wants to stop the fight but the boxer said no. Billy traded punches with Resto and survived 10 vicious rounds!

After the fight, when Resto went to Billy’s corner to congratulate him, Collins Sr. got hold of Resto’s gloves - it was nothing but knuckles! Collins Sr. went nuts atop the ring. The gloves were impounded.

Investigators found out that Panama Lewis had pulled the padding from the gloves, making it a virtual deadly weapon. Later, Resto admitted that his fists were loaded too.

Collins lost that fight by unanimous decision but it was later ruled a “no contest.” The verdict didn’t do Collins any good. His beating from Resto made him permanently blind. He was unable to box again after that beating and died nine months later in a mysterious car accident.

Lewis and Resto were later found liable to assault, conspiracy, and possession of a deadly weapon in October 1986. Lewis served time for one year while Resto served two years and both were banned from boxing for life.

An HBO Special titled “Assault in the Ring,” that goes on air August 1, revisits this tragic day in boxing.

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