HBO Boxing Special: Assault in the ring 8/1/09
 

Anybody seen any previews of this?

Looks pretty good.

As an aside, I wish they would do a legendary nights second season... not a big boxing fan, but HBO does a great job on the boxing docs.

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vid...html?eref=sihp

Re: HBO Boxing Special: Assault in the ring 8/1/09
 

Boxing? ZZZZZzzzzZZZZzzzzZZzzzz

Re: HBO Boxing Special: Assault in the ring 8/1/09
 

I hadn't heard of this incident before. What a bastard!

Re: HBO Boxing Special: Assault in the ring 8/1/09
 

Thanks for the stellar input.

I read about this on Yahoo Sports. Definitely want to check this out. I wouldn't say this is so much about boxing as it is about the cheating that goes on and how this guy has had to live his entire life in exile after what he did.

Re: HBO Boxing Special: Assault in the ring 8/1/09
 

From the previews on HBO I will watch this when it comes out. Never heard about the incident but this looks pretty interesting. Who was it that doctored the gloves anyway?

Re: HBO Boxing Special: Assault in the ring 8/1/09
 

I definitely plan on checking this out -- interesting story.

Re: HBO Boxing Special: Assault in the ring 8/1/09
 

I read that it was his trainer / cornerman. He put bits of plaster in the wraps and removed the padding that was inside the glove. The article states that he was able to remove the padding in under 8 seconds per glove after they were officially inspected.

Re: HBO Boxing Special: Assault in the ring 8/1/09
 

I'll take a great boxing match over that other sport any day. They do too much rolling around on the ground for my taste.

Re: HBO Boxing Special: Assault in the ring 8/1/09
 

Guess this is on tonight. I have the TIVO ready

Re: HBO Boxing Special: Assault in the ring 8/1/09
 

Even though the fighter is from Puerto Rico and I'm a huge boxing fan, I've never heard of the incident before I saw the previews on HBO. I'll watch this for sure.

Re: HBO Boxing Special: Assault in the ring 8/1/09
 

Never heard of this incident either.

Looks like I missed it, if only HBO would repeat things!

Re: HBO Boxing Special: Assault in the ring 8/1/09
 

just got done watching this.. now this was before my time but i can't help but think about antonio margaritto.

now my brother in law ses that margaritto got his ban from the mosley fight.. i'm saying its from the cotto fight.. who's right? mosley or cotto.. he's lucky that he wasn't banned for life like they were.

Re: HBO Boxing Special: Assault in the ring 8/1/09
 

was just flipping around last night and came across.. pretty interesting. worth a watch even if you aren't a big boxing fan

Re: HBO Boxing Special: Assault in the ring 8/1/09
 

Very interesting documentary. Really makes you wonder about the corruption in boxing over the years, because it was all essentially about $$$ and betting. Boxing has to have some of the shaddiest characters attached to it.

Re: HBO Boxing Special: Assault in the ring 8/1/09
 

Did anybody else have subtitle problems with this? I tried formatting the picture on my DirecTV remote a dozen times, but they remained cut off. Good thing I could always make out what was being said.

Re: HBO Boxing Special: Assault in the ring 8/1/09
 

Yes, I DVR'd the HBO/HD version and the subtitles were cut off at the bottom so you can just make the wording out. I then DVR'd the HBO/SD version, which was non-anamorphic, and the subtitles were in the whole screen. Very strange, never seen it like that before.

Re: HBO Boxing Special: Assault in the ring 8/1/09
 

it was prob the overscan on your tv. On my tv, the subtitles weren't cut off, but very close to though.

Re: HBO Boxing Special: Assault in the ring 8/1/09
 

Great show, and kind of reinforces how shady Boxing is.

If there is any justice, Panama Lewis would be shovelling shit in hell for eternity.

Re: HBO Boxing Special: Assault in the ring 8/1/09
 

The doc was very weak.

I dont like how the director injected himself in terms of his vapid narration, blatantly carting Resto everywhere to get a "big moment," and pestering- make no mistake, it was pestering- the Collins family.

I think it addresses the meat of the controversy well enough but was, no pun intended, pretty padded and overall not executed in the best way. HBO docs are usually of better quality, but this one was strictly C grade execution of the subject.

Re: HBO Boxing Special: Assault in the ring 8/1/09
 

I agree with this. He did pester the Collins family. I hated that he got their hopes up at the end just to have their petition rejected again.

Everyone involved should still be in jail.

Re: HBO Boxing Special: Assault in the ring 8/1/09
 

Agree. The problem with the director is that he still acts like a boxing promoter himself. He put himself too much in the story, instead of letting things flow.

Panama Lewis should be blackballed from the entire boxing industry. The boxing commissions should suspend anyone that goes to him for training or anything that is boxing related. I don't have too much sympathy for Resto either, but for the benefit of the doubt, I'll say he didn't know better, since he looks as dumb as a bag of nails.

I also agree now that Margarito needs to get a longer, more harsh suspension. Cotto should be thankful that he didn't ended like Billy boy.

Re: HBO Boxing Special: Assault in the ring 8/1/09
 

I have no problem with doc directors who do inject their point of view and editorialize. But the guy behind "Assault..." didn't say anything special and you could feel and see his hand manipulating things. Panama asked for money upfront before every interview! So? The guy probably didnt want to get stiffed by some low rent doc crew. They film Resto taking the bus to see his family, then notice how everywhere else he goes (Miami, TN, etc) the doc crew flew him there and chauffeured him around. Once they got some poverty footage of him, then they gladly carried him in order to further their story with confronting/admittance footage. The director banging on the Collins family door at the end credits ("We have new information!") was sickening- send a letter asshole.

In the end, the doc actually doesn't say anything. Both Resto and Lewis already served their time and were already found guilty in both the legal and public opinion courts. Sure, it has Resto finally coming clean that he damn well knew he was fighting dirty, but thats just confirmation of what we all already figured. Oh yeah, it tells us boxing is shady and Panama Lewis is despicable- shocker!

As for Billy Collins Jr., I've long thought the guy met his end because of his own hang ups. I mean, for one, he went on a drunk, lost his wife, etc, and flipped in a ditch a less than a year later. He wasn't indefinitely medically suspended and was still open to get more fights. If he was too afraid to fight again- then he shouldn't be a fighter. If he didn't try again because of the lawsuits- thats on his management. The guy never gave either a chance. Yes, what happened to him was unfair and illegal and horrible, but if it broke him, thats on him and no one else.

Re: HBO Boxing Special: Assault in the ring 8/1/09
 

I too felt the director might have gone too far in putting himself on camera and showing some of the behind the scenes stuff. Do people expect everybody to participate for free? Actors getting $20 million a movie get paid to on Letterman, that doesn't mean Letterman has to bring it up and show footage of the tranaction. The "We have new information" ending was just cruel to the family and led to nothing, no reason to show it.

Resto's son's wing place is right by where I live, might have to stop by and check it out.

Re: HBO Boxing Special: Assault in the ring 8/1/09
 

That Panama dude was a trip telling Resto only God knows who tampered with the gloves.

You felt for Resto but then for a while you have second thoughts when he too was withholding the truth.

Re: HBO Boxing Special: Assault in the ring 8/1/09
 

sounds like a soap opera...lol