Donald Curry: An Undisputed Champion Remembered

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By Ian “The Boxing Historian” Murphy

When one thinks of the talented Welterweights and Middleweights of the 1980s, mega stars like Sugar Ray Leonard, Marvin Hagler,Thomas Hearns and Roberto Duran are the fighters most associated with that era. Yes, these warriors deserve all the press, respect, and adulation they have gotten, but there were other fighters that were just as deserving and maybe just a notch or so below those all-time greats. One of the best (but sometimes overlooked) fighters of that very competitive era was former Undisputed Welterweight Champion Donald “The Lone Star Cobra” Curry. He was a masterful boxer/puncher, who could hurt a man with either hand, and for a time in early 1986, Curry was considered the top pound for pound fighter in the world.

Curry was born in 1961 in Fort Worth, Texas. He was the younger brother of fellow boxers Bruce and Graylin Curry. Donald started boxing in his teens and by 1979, he was a champion at 132lbs and 147lbs, culminating in capturing the 1980 National Golden Gloves. Curry had Olympic aspirations and actually won the trials vs Davey Moore at 147lbs. Unfortunately, the United States boycotted the 1980 Summer Olympics and Curry was not able to compete and wasn’t given a chance at winning a Gold Medal for his country. Donald would have certainly been the favorite to win the gold on the merit of his absolutely incredible 400-4 amateur record, among the best in history.

Curry started his professional career in 1980 with a first round TKO in Las Vegas. His first high profile fight was a knockout win over former world title challenger Bruce Finch in four rounds to win the NABF welterweight title on May 5, 1982. Later that year, Donald fought and defeated future Welterweight champion Marlon Starling (and handed him his first loss) by 12 round split decision for the USBA title. Curry (now 15-0) was in position to contend for the world title, which was splintered at that time due to the retirement of former champion Sugar Ray Leonard. The field was wide open and in February 1983, Curry defeated Jun-Suk Hwang for the WBA Welterweight title. In September he starched Roger Stafford in 1 round and now was matched again with rival Marlon Starling for the inaugural IBF Welterweight title. In February 1984, Curry won a unanimous decision and added the IBF title to his collection. Now only the WBC belt remained for Donald to become the undisputed Welterweight Champion of the World, a title held at that time by Milton “The Ice Man” McCrory of Detroit’s famed Kronk Gym.

It would take more than eighteen months to secure a unification bout between Curry and McCrory, but in the meantime Curry defended his belts against Elio Diaz, Nino LaRocca, and Colin Jones. All fell within the distance, making a strong case for being recognized as the #1 ranked 147lb fighter on the planet. In March 1985, Curry stepped up in weight and challenged tough James “Hard Rock” Green at 154lbs. Donald did not disappoint, stopping Green in the second round. A victory against Pablo Baez (TKO6) in June set the tone for a match with his WBC counterpart McCrory. This match would determine once and for all who the top welterweight in the world was.

The “Ice Man” and “The Cobra” finally met on December 6, 1985 in Las Vegas. Both were undefeated, but Curry was a 4-1 favorite. The first round saw Curry take immediate control. Near the end of the first round, Curry landed a hard left hook and drove McCrory into a corner and went to work. At the end of the round, Curry hurt his foe with a big right hand and walked back to his corner full of confidence. Later on, Donald said “I knew I was stronger, but I didn’t know I was that much stronger. I don’t think he knew, either. After the first 20 seconds I could see the confusion in his eyes and I knew he was mine.” The next round was no better for Milton for within a minute, he was on his back, courtesy of a Curry left hook. McCrory got up, but Curry knew it was time to close the show. Right as referee Mills Lane signaled for the fight to continue, Curry fired a nasty right hand and didn’t even bother to look at his handiwork. He just walked away, knowing it was all over. Donald Curry was now the Undisputed Welterweight Champion and many in the boxing community felt he was also the best pound for pound fighter in the world.

The McCrory fight proved to be the pinnacle of Curry’s career, for after he defended his titles against Eduardo Rodriguez in March, 1986 he ran into some personal problems that hampered his training. Also contributing to his troubles was an increasingly difficulty getting down to the welterweight limit of 147lbs. Donald had been competing at that weight since he was a teenager and now was in his mid-twenties and filling out physically. The Cobra next put his championship on the line against comparatively unheralded Lloyd Honeyghan, and lost in a shocking upset. It is likely that Curry left it all in the gym trying to get down to the welterweight limit. He did not look like the world beater that took out McCrory, Green, and Starling.

Curry’s next opponent was former sparring partner Tony Montgomery in February 1987, this time in the 154lb division. This match was for the USBA title. Curry dominated from the start, dropping Montgomery in the second and the fourth rounds. Montgomery fought a dirty fight, repeatedly headbutting Curry in rounds 4 and 5. In the fifth round, Curry was again butted and his opponent was disqualified. Curry was enraged and punched Montgomery after the DQ and they both had to be restrained. Following the certain victory turned DQ, Curry fought Carlos Santos in April. In a bizarre replay of the Montgomery fight, Curry again won by disqualification due to head butts. He didn’t look his best in these two matches, but vowed to be in great form when he challenged Mike “The Body Snatcher” McCallum in July.

The McCallum/Curry fight did not disappoint. Curry indeed was in great form and hurt the “Body Snatcher” in the second with a nasty right hand, buckling McCallum’s knees. Mike steadied himself and resorted back to his methodical, but effective pressure and body attack. Curry adapted to McCallum’s style beautifully and outboxed him through the third and fourth rounds. In the fifth round, McCallum himself adjusted and was setting Curry up for a heavy shot to the head with body punches. At the two minute mark, McCallum landed a huge left hook that put Curry out. It was the KO Magazine “Knockout of the Year”.

Following the McCallum fight, there was one last match where we saw a prime, top form Donald Curry. After racking up a few wins during the latter portion of 1987 and early 1988, “The Cobra” bested Gianfranco Rosi for the WBC 154lb belt. Curry battered the Italian, flooring him five times en route to a 9th round knockout. Curry now had a portion of the 154lb title and looked to unify, as he had done as a Welterweight. He defended it once before being upset by Frenchman Rene Jaquot in 1989, losing a 12 round decision.

After the Jaquot fight, it was effectively the end for Curry as an elite fighter. He went on to challenge both Michael Nunn in 1990 and Terry Norris in 1991 for 154lb titles, but lost both via knockout. Curry then retired, but had to come back in 1997 for two fights, after running into some massive legal troubles related to drug trafficking, and was indicted in 1994 by a federal judge. Curry was acquitted of all charges in January 1995 after it was determined that Donald was not in fact a dealer/distributor, but more of in the wrong place at the wrong time with the wrong people. His legal fees practically bankrupted him and he was forced to return to boxing. He fought two fights in 1997, winning one and losing his final fight to Emmett Linton. He retired for good later in 1997 at the age of 36 with a record of 34-6-2, 25 KO’s.

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