RE-OPEN DRAKA DEATH

The death of Draka fighter should be re-opened because of negligence and greed of the California State Athletic Commission.

The same as this case is about to.

Boxer Removes Glove Padding, Dips Hands In Plaster And Ruins Opponents Life — Worst Cheat Ever

Former welterweight Luis Resto has acknowledged that the beating he gave the late Billy Collins Jr. in 1983 — in which, over 10 rounds, he pounded Collins with tampered gloves that each had two inches of padding removed — was even worse than previously believed.

Resto, at a news conference on Thursday in New York, acknowledged that the tape used to wrap his hands in that fight had been soaked in plaster of Paris, giving him a pair of hardened casts underneath his unpadded gloves.

Collins suffered from blurred vision and depression after the June 16, 1983 fight. He died in a car accident about nine months later.

The admission, which Resto made to Collins’ widow, Andrea Collins-Nile, last year during the filming of a documentary about the scandal, has led to a motion to re-open a civil suit against the State of New York over its failure to prevent the beating. The legal filing was also announced Thursday.

Eric Drath, who directed “Cornered,” the documentary about the fight and its tragic aftermath, said it was a “heinous and tragic crime” that needed to be retold, according to The (Nashville) Tennessean.

“It happened in a much more brutal way” than had previously believed, Drath said. “Worse than bare knuckles, it was plaster.”Resto and his trainer, Panama Lewis, were convicted of assault and conspiracy and served jail time after a jury found they had tampered with the gloves. Both men were banned from boxing.

But a civil trial over the state boxing commission’s failure to prevent the beating resulted in a hung jury and was dismissed by a federal claims court judge. Collins-Nile’s motion at U.S. District Court in Albany seeks to re-open the case.

“Ultimately I’m not Resto’s judge,” Collins-Nile said, according to the New York Daily News. “The boxing commission was negligent. They were there to protect my ex-husband and they did not.”

Mark Thompson, the lawyer representing Collins-Nile in the case, said he is hopeful Resto’s confession will convince a judge to re-open the case, according to the Daily News. The wraps were never confiscated after the fight, but Drath believes that Resto might still have them.

Last summer, during a visit to Nashville in conjunction with the filming of “Cornered,” Resto confessed to Collins’ widow that the wraps had been doctored. He said he could no longer live with the secret.

“I should have said something. I lived with it for 24 years. I had to let it go. I’m sorry I kept my mouth shut,” Resto said, according to The Tennessean. “I went to see Collins’ ex-wife. She accepted my apology. I went to the cemetery, too, to show my respect to Billy Collins. I told Billy, ‘I’m sorry for what I did to you.’ ”

Collins-Nile said Resto’s appearance and confession came as a surprise.

“Resto was kinda sprung on me when [Drath] came down to do his interviews. I didn’t even know he was here,” she said, according to The Tennessean. “Resto was pretty much crying and said he didn’t murder Billy.

“During the fight, Billy told [his father and trainer Billy Collins Sr.] it felt like he was getting hit with rocks,” she added. “Now we know he really was getting hit with rocks. It was that much worse.”

NOW READ THIS:
As stated in the Bureau of State Audit Report (BSA) 2012-117:
“The commission has also failed to adequately administer its Neurological Examination Account (neurological account), which the Legislature established in 1986 to pay for  neurological examinations that might detect physical conditions that could place athletes at risk for serious or permanent injury. Although the fund balance in the neurological account reached $712,000 as of June 30, 2012, the commission has not used the account to pay for examinations since at least 1998, stating that it could not do so because of the excessive cost of the examinations. Instead, it has used the neurological account only to pay for state operations, such as a portion of the salary and benefits of the staff person who is responsible for verifying the accuracy of the neurological assessment calculation. The commission is considering requesting legislation that would change its responsibilities related to paying for these examinations. However, until the Legislature makes such a change, the commission is failing to use the funds to fulfill the intent of the law.”
Go to link below and read please so we can finally get rid of this corrupt commission.
If this CSAC/DCA/Governor appointed commission obeyed the law and enforced it instead of buying chamagne and steak for lunch maybe Draka kickboxer Redone would be alive today. I got tape recording of interview the CSAC new about his knockout prior. But the Russian Mob wanted that fight and brought a suitcase of cash to CSAC to allow the Draka fight happen. They should of scanned him before event according to the law. But they refused because they wanted to pay employees to run this corrupt organization. Tape will be supplied upon request. Admissable to court.
Redone died because of greed in 1998 because they would not brain scan because of cost.. They took in money for it. Pay for safety or pay a employee to have steak and dinner.
1998 the year they won’t do brain scans a fighter dies
Jan. 6, 1998 7:17 PM ET
LOS ANGELES (AP) _ A kickboxer hit with several punches to the head during a martial arts bout over the weekend has died, the executive officer of the California State Athletic Commission said Tuesday.
Redone Bougara, 23, a native of France who lived in Culver City, Calif., died of brain injuries at Daniel Freeman Hospital in Inglewood, Michael Wells said by telephone from his office in Sacramento. The bout was held Saturday at the Forum in Inglewood.
“He died yesterday, we were advised by the hospital today,” Wells said. “We will be seeking to get the medical records and have our staff take a look at them

KICKBOXER DIES OF BRAIN INJURIES

JOHN NADEL, Associated Press

Jan. 6, 1998 7:17 PM ET

Kickboxer Dies of Brain Injuries

Associated Press historical news archive articles dating back to 1985