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Randy Gordon
Alias The Fighter Writer
Country USA
Global Id 130661
Division Featherweight
Career Record © www.boxrec.com
Date Opponent Location Result
1976-03-31 Gerald Odum Uniondale, USA L KO 2
Record to Date
Won 0 (KOs 0) Lost 1 Drawn 0 Total 1
Rocky: To begin, it's truly my pleasure to be here talking to some of the most knowledgeable boxing fans in the world. All I ever have seen myself as is the luckiest fight fan who ever lived. I am one of you who happened to get a few real great jobs.
Your words above Randy that you used in that post to Rocky says it all for me anyway as to the sort of man you are. Anyway a little late i know but its a real pleasure to have you here on Cyberzone. Hope in spite of the bullets we fire at times, you enjoy your stay with us.
Again Welcome Randy.
I also have an old Ring magazine where you wrote an article saying you
were going to get into the ring for the first time ever to see what it
was like to get hit and go through what a fighter goes through.
Did you have all those amateur fights before that article?
Randy
The 25th anniversary of a dark day in boxing history is fast approaching. On June 16, 1983, Roberto Duran stopped Davey Moore for the WBA Jr. Middleweight Title at Madison Square Garden. On the undercard, Luis Resto pounded out a 10-round decision over previously unbeaten Billy Collins, Jr. Following the final bell, it was discovered that the padding was removed from Resto's gloves. Collins' face was a grotesque, purplish mask, the worst beating I have ever seen (Go to "Google," type in "Billy Collins Jr.," then hit "Images." The photo of Collins' battered face will be there.).
The beating left Collins with irreparable eye damage, and his boxing career came to an end. His took to alcohol and drugs. Ten months after the fight, Billy Collns Jr. ended his life. Then Editor-in-Chief of The Ring, I wrote my editorial "Murder, Plain & Simple," about the tampered gloves 10 months earlier. A Grand Jury indicted Resto and his chief second, Panama Lewis. They went to trial, were convicted and sent to jail. Today, both are still banned for life from boxing.
A little over one year ago, television producer Eric Drath began the arduous task of putting together a documentary on the Collins-Resto saga. He interviewed evry person even remotely involved in the fight. Then he packaged it all into a documentary entitled, "Cornered." This Spring, you'll see the finished product on TV, though Drath is keeping the network which will air his documentary a secret for now.
Next Tuesday (3/18), for those of you who have Sirius Radio, you can hear Drath on my show, "Fight Club," at 1:30 p.m. (ET). He'll discuss the researching and making of "Cornered." He also says he has a huge announcement to make regarding this sad story. What that announcement is, only Drath knows. My speculation is that Drath has found out it wasn't Panama Lewis who removed the padding, but someone else. While it is a big announcement, somewhat vindicating Panama if he didn't know of the glove tampering, the fact remains that Collins was brutally savaged and had his career--and life--ended as a result.
Hopefully, many of you will be able to hear the show.
And you'll remember a sweet, family man who just wanted to be a fighter--Billy Collins Jr.
-Randy G
Wing: What month/year Ring Magazine was that? I don't ever recall writing that in Ring, only in Stanley Weston's "International Boxing" and "World Boxing" years earlier.
-RG
I remember reading your piece about the Odum fight and wondering how many of the other boxing scribes would have the balls to actually try the violent "sport" they cover.
We (and I include myself in that indictment) are all too quick to question a boxer's heart or dedication without even considering what it takes just to climb into the ring with a trained pro intent on introducing concussive impact to your brain. Whenever I read the words of an "internet warrior" who proclaims himself ready to "throw down" 24/7, I feel pretty certain said "warrior" has never once been punched in his face with real vehemence. PeteLeo.
Pete: I know exactly what you mean. Just recently in the gym, a guy in his mid-20's heard how much money Sultan Ibragimov got paid for running around the ring against Wlad Klitschko.
"Wow, I'd fight him for that much," said Mr. Braveheart. "I'd fight anybody for that much!"
I just looked at him.
"You gotta' start from the bottom," I told him. "You can't just jump in there and get paid millions. How about entering next year's Golden Gloves?"
He just looked at me like I was crazy.
"Hell no! They don't get paid! I'm not getting punched for nothing! A million bucks maybe, but not for free."
But I hear guys say "I'll fight (name of fighter) for that amount of money" (the amount the opponent just got paid) all the time. You just kind of get used to it.
By the way, Oleg Maskaev got paid a lot of money to fight Sam Peter. Damn! I'll fight Peter for that kind of money! :>)
-RG
Randy, you say Collins ended his life?
Has this been made official?
I cannot locate where it has been made official and from what I read, it says
that Collins car drove over a cliff and that suicide was possible..
Thanks
Pete, July 1963, famed Phila. Daily News boxing writer, Jack McKinney, scored a 1st round KO over Alvin Green at Painsville, Ohio of a scheduled 4 rounder that was promoted by Don Elbaum. McKinney was on the Daily News staff headed by sports editor Larry Merchant who used to go to many of the Philly boxing shows with McKinney/Originally Posted by PeteLeo
McKinney used to spar many of the pros at Champs Gym in North Philly and had many sessions with Georgie Benton during that time. McKinney was also a legendary street fighter and baroom brawler in Philly at one time.
The Aug 1979 edition of International Boxing covered Gordon's sparring with Howard Davis Jr. In the article, Randy mentions his "inauspicious debut in Mar 1976 (see International Boxing August 1976)." and as noted here, he even mentions his pro debut. (I typed it word for word there Randy!)
Hawk
Walshb: I did say "Ten months after the fight, Billy Collins Jr. ended his life." Perhaps I should have said "Ten months after the fight, Billy Collins Jr.'s life ended." However, from all I have read and spoke to about this horrible event, young Collins' life ended the night he took the fearsome beating from gloves which had no padding in the knuckle area. I saw those gloves. I held those gloves. Believe me, you wouldn't want to get hit hundreds of times with those gloves. You wouldn't want to get hit ONCE with those gloves. Billy took to alcohol and drugs after the fight. He was severely depressed. He had openly talked about suicide. Drugs were found in his system when he was pulled from the waters from which his car plunged into. Did he drive into those waters on purpose? Was it an accident? The bottom line is that Billy Collins Jr. is not here. He is not here because of a criminal act that was pulled off against him on June 16, 1983..
Does it really matter whether his car accidentally plunged into the water or whether he drove it into the water on purpose? I don't think so!
Excuse me for thinking the latter!
-RG
By the way, Jack McKinney's purse for that bout was $ 40.
While flipping through that old issue of Intl Boxing, I ran accross a name who was one heck of a writer for the Weston-Led Publications: Gary Morgenstein.
Gary was one of my favorite boxing writers in the late 70's and as I understand it, following the death of Cleveland Denny in his bout with Geatan Hart on the undercard of Duran Leonard I, Gary wrote an article covering the death of Denny and never wrote another boxing story again.
Do I have the specifics correct on this? Does anyone know what Mr. Morgenstein did after he left the boxing world? I know it's been 28 years since his last piece, but does anyone know what became of Gary?
Any insight would be greatly appreciated.
Hawk
Randy, excuse me for being officious on this, but it might matter to his family how he actually died. From what I read, it looks like a possible deliberate act, but since you say there was drugs found in his system, then that could change the view of a lot of people. Suicide as we all know is a devestating event and very hard to accept. Thanks for your reply Randy...
What Lewis and Resto did was unspeakable and if I were administering
justice, both would rot in jail......
Peter King as well.
Not the Peter King from Sports Illustrated who is an NFL reporter/writer. But the Peter King who was in the fight game until the mid 80's I beleive.
Another excellent talent from years ago. Any word on where he went?
I love the good old days.
Hawk
His family I am sure is closer knowing and pondering about what really happened than Randy Gordon is. If 'his family' needs Randy Gordon to disclose some evidence they somehow do not know anything about then something is indeed odd .... about them.
"Thanks all for the information on where the article appeared where Randy wrote about appearing in the ring for the first time,
My question was this to Randy Gordon, I saw the telecast where you said you had 38 amateur fights or wins, what actually was your amateur background as a fighter before you tried that pro fight article angle?
Thanks
Randy
So do you, or anyone else for that matter, know what his family think happened or believe happened??
I don't know. Do you? Was that your intended question? It read to me like you were asking Randy to put himself in an odd position to divulge some information you think he might know. As in, Randy Gordon knew something he had not divulged and the Collins family was not allowed to know things Randy Gordon did.
I found it odd that the Collins family was by inference being portrayed as not being involved in all facets of the investigation of their family member's death and that Randy Gordon knew more perhaps than they did and that there may be something he knows that he has not revealed in all these years.
That is how it reads walsh, that's all.
Last edited by Sharkey; 03-12-2008 at 12:58 PM.
No, my view was simple. It was not official that Collins took his own life but
merely speculated that he did.
When I read what Randy initially wrote, which stated suicide, I wanted to ask him if that was actually official, and I found it odd, that if it wasn't official, why would he say it. Randy cleared it up for me.....
I think we'll leave it there....
Last edited by walshb; 03-12-2008 at 01:44 PM.
got it.
I have been reading some of the other threads here, and I see from the Ron Lipton thread
that he had a considerable amount of contact with both Ali and Frazier, having spent time in Ali's training camp since the 60's, as well as spending time with Frazier.
Lipton sparred with Frazier in Rahway Prison on a tour and with Ali also at other times.
According to what I see, Ali even came to court to support Ron in one situation, while Joe and Ron appeared in the paper together a few times.
I would like to see what someone like Ron Lipton, who had lots of real contact with both men, (well beyond that of a reporter in an interview situation), would have to tell us about this question of whether Ali meant the nasty things he said about Frazier.
That there is a Ron Lipton Q&A Thread in this very same section, with whihc Ron has shown an extrodinary gracious ability to field all sorts of questions posed to him by posters.
I'd bet he would be more than willing to respond to that inquiry of yours in that thread.
THis particular thread was designed for Randy Gordon to field questions from posters who are interested in HIS viewpoints from that of a comissioner, WRITER/REPORTER, editor and announcer of our beloved sport.
I would not expect or find it appropriate to ask Randy to respond to questions directed to HIM, in the Ron Lipton Q & A thread, anymore than posing questions to Ron in this particular thread.
Thank you, for your understanding.
Hawk
Geez Hawk, are you the hall monitor?
Yes I am.
Hawk
Okay, good to know.
Randy said he thought Ali meant nothing ill toward Frazier with the remarks he made.
I would be interested in Ron Lipton's take on that, with all of his contact with the two of them.
I think it would be appropriate to address questions to Ron in the Ron Lipton Q & A thread.
Questions to Randy Gordon, should be made in the Randy Gordon Q & A Thread.
I would think that the titles of each thread would make this obvious.
Hawk
Why don't you go ask the man???
I'm sure he'd respond in a jiffy.
Hawk
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