LINGERING DARKNESS: Resto’s actions resulted in the death of another ighter. Today, he struggles to live with himself
Photos: ALESSANDRO ZUEK SIMONETTI (3)
LUIS RESTO stands on a Bronx street corner, outside the Morris Park Boxing Club where he sometimes offers valuable nuggets of advice. The ex-fighter, notorious for a single sickening moment in the sport’s chequered history, is now 63 years of age, the passage of time evident in his lined face, though not in his well-sculpted body. Our small talk involves me telling the smiley New Yorker that I’m from the same city as The Beatles and, afforded that information, a jovial Resto guides his right hand to a firm stomach before imitating a cheery guitarist. Initial conversations centred on music and accents but now, in the comfort of Resto’s favourite eatery, The Golden Eagle Diner, it’s time to talk boxing; a subject that has haunted Luis since 1983.
Throughout our chat, Luis is intermittently disturbed by locals of all ages playfully boxing with the jolly pensioner who is trying to enjoy a basic breakfast. A popular figure in this neighbourhood, Resto is invariably addressed by his surname and has called The Bronx home all his life. He was raised there by a single mother who moved to New York’s northernmost borough from Puerto Rico.