Donald Curry


Donald Curry, is an American former professional boxer who competed from 1980 to 1991, and in 1997. He held the undisputed welterweight title from 1985 to 1986, the WBC light middleweight title from 1988 to 1989, and challenged once for the IBF and lineal middleweight titles in 1990. In 2019, he was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame.

Amateur career

Curry's amateur record is usually listed as 400-4, but it is sometimes listed as 396-4 and 400-6. Curry thinks he might have had more than 404 bouts, but he is sure he had only four losses. Curry was originally trained by Wesley Gale Parker out of Fort Worth, Texas. Parker also trained his brother Super Lightweight champion Bruce Curry.

Amateur achievements

Olympic Trials, Atlanta, Georgia, June 1980:

Early years

Curry, at age 19, won his professional debut with a first-round knocked of Mario Tineo on December 26, 1980. "I didn't start thinking about turning pro until I was about 18," Curry said. "I didn't pay attention to the pro game. I couldn't have told you the names of more than two world champions, and they were Ray Leonard and Muhammad Ali."
With a record of 11-0, Curry knocked out former world title challenger Bruce Finch in three rounds to win the NABF welterweight title on May 5, 1982.
Curry fought future WBA/WBC welterweight champion Marlon Starling for the USBA welterweight championship on October 24, 1982. Curry bruised his ribs during training and also had a lot of trouble making weight. He reportedly was nine pounds over the 147-pound welterweight limit less than a week before the fight. Despite these problems, Curry won by a twelve-round split decision to unify the USBA and NABF welterweight titles and hand Starling his first pro loss. The win earned Curry the unified #2 spot in the rankings behind Milton McCrory for the welterweight title.

Undisputed welterweight champion

On February 13, 1983, Curry fought Jun-Suk Hwang for the WBA welterweight championship, which had become vacant after the retirement of Sugar Ray Leonard. Curry suffered a flash knockdown in the seventh round but otherwise dominated the fight and won by a lopsided fifteen-round unanimous decision. Three months later, Curry's older brother, Bruce, won the WBC light welterweight title. They were the first pair of brothers to hold world titles simultaneously.
After making his first title defense, a first-round knockout of Roger Stafford, Curry had a rematch with Starling. Curry, mixing up punches to the body and head, stayed on top of Starling and pounded out a fifteen-round unanimous decision to retain the titles of the WBA and the newly formed IBF, which elected to recognize Curry as their champion before the fight.
Curry's next three fights were successful title defenses. He stopped Elio Diaz in eight rounds, Nino LaRocca in six, and Colin Jones in four. His next two fights were non-title fights at junior middleweight. He stopped James "Hard Rock" Green in two and Pablo Baez in six.
On December 6, 1985, Curry fought Milton McCrory, the undefeated WBC welterweight champion, to unify the welterweight titles. In the second round, Curry slipped a McCrory left jab and countered with a left hook to the chin that sent McCrory down. McCrory struggled to rise. When he did, Curry dropped him again with a solid right cross. Referee Mills Lane counted him out. Curry became the first undisputed welterweight champion since Sugar Ray Leonard retired in 1982.
Curry's first defense of the undisputed championship was in his hometown of Fort Worth, Texas. His opponent was Eduardo Rodriguez, whom he knocked out in the second round with a left-right combination to the head. Curry was 25-0 with 20 knockouts, and many boxing experts considered him to be the best pound-for-pound boxer in the world.

Major upset

Curry's next defense of the title was against Lloyd Honeyghan of the United Kingdom on September 27, 1986 in Atlantic City, New Jersey. Honeyghan was 27-0 and ranked #1 by the WBC.
Curry's training was disrupted by managerial issues. His managerial contract with David Gorman was to expire on September 30, 1986, and Curry announced that Akbar Muhammad would become his new manager. Muhammad said he wanted Gorman to remain a part of Curry's team, but Gorman said he wouldn't accept a position as co-manager and would not let Curry work out of his gym if he was not Curry's manager. Curry told Gorman to stay away from his training camp, but shortly before the fight, Curry asked him to work in his corner for the fight and Gorman agreed.
Oddsmakers considered Curry vs. Honeyghan to be such a mismatch that some would not offer a betting line. However, Honeyghan came into the fight with great confidence and bet $5,000 on himself at 5-1 odds. "I want people to know how much I believe in myself," he said. "I can't wait to start punching Curry on the head. I'm going to smash his face in."
Honeyghan easily won the opening two rounds, pressuring Curry and rocking him badly in the second round. Curry came back to win the next two rounds, but he had little left after that. He was drained from struggling to make weight, having to lose 11 pounds three days before the fight. "I was weak and sluggish. I had no strength in my legs, and my timing just wasn't there. I wasn't myself," Curry said after the fight. "I won't fight as a welterweight again."
Akbar Muhammad said Curry weighed 168 pounds six and a half weeks prior to the fight, before he went to New Orleans to train. Then his grandfather's death caused the fighter to lose concentration. "His weight went up to 157, 158. He told me, 'I don't think I can make the weight.' He wanted to pull out of the fight," Muhammad said. "I told him he was a professional and had an obligation to meet."
Honeyghan manhandled Curry in rounds five and six. Late in the sixth, an accidental headbutt opened a bad cut over Curry's left eye. Returning to his corner after the sixth, with blood flowing down his face, Curry shook his head and was heard to tell his corner, "I'm through." Ringside physicians Frank Doggett and Paul Williams examined the cut after the sixth round and told referee Octavio Meyran to stop the fight, giving Honeyghan a TKO victory. The Ring magazine named the fight Upset of the Year.

Move up in weight

After losing to Honeyghan, Curry moved up to the light middleweight division.
Curry defeated Tony Montgomery to win the USBA light middleweight title on February 7, 1987. Montgomery was disqualified in the fifth round for intentional headbutts. Curry's next opponent, former IBF light middleweight champion Carlos Santos, was also disqualified in the fifth round for intentional headbutts.
On April 6, 1987, the day Sugar Ray Leonard defeated Marvelous Marvin Hagler for the world middleweight championship and two days after defeating Santos, Curry filed a million dollar lawsuit against Leonard and his attorney, Mike Trainer. The suit stated that Leonard and Trainer took "undue and unconscionable advantage of Curry" through fraud, conspiracy and breach of financial responsibilities, and they "conspired to prevent Curry from entering the middleweight divisions to assure Leonard's unobstructed opportunity to fight the middleweight champion."
Curry said he asked Leonard and Trainer for advice concerning his future, and they advised him to stay at welterweight and not to move up in weight to fight WBA light middleweight champion Mike McCallum or middleweight champion Hagler. Curry was going to face McCallum on June 23, 1986, but he decided to back out and stay at welterweight. Several weeks later, Leonard announced that he was coming out of retirement to fight Hagler.

McCallum vs Curry

Curry fought Mike McCallum on July 18, 1987 for the WBA light middleweight championship. The fight was televised live on HBO. Curry tried to have Sugar Ray Leonard, who worked for HBO as a commentator, removed from the broadcast team, but HBO decided to include Leonard as part of the telecast.
McCallum, 31-0 with 28 knockouts, was boxing's longest reigning champion. Curry, a 2-1 betting favorite, boxed well and was leading on all three scorecards after four rounds. In the fifth, McCallum caught Curry on the chin with a left hook, putting down for the count. "I don't know what he hit me with," Curry said forty minutes after the fight. "I don't know what happened."
HBO commentator Barry Tompkins told his broadcasting partner Sugar Ray Leonard, "You settled a case out of court here."

WBC light middleweight champion

After outpointing former WBC champion Lupe Aquino, Curry got another title shot. He traveled to Italy to fight Gianfranco Rosi for the WBC light middleweight title on July 8, 1988. Curry put him down five times, and Rosi retired on his stool after the ninth round. "I trained hard for five months to win this title and it paid off," Curry said.
Curry was once again a champion, but his reign didn't last very long. He lost the title in his first defense, dropping a twelve-round unanimous decision to the lightly regarded Rene Jacquot on February 11, 1989 in France. Curry built an early lead, but Jacquot came on in the second half of the fight. "I just got tired," Curry said afterward. "I thought I was in the best condition of my life but in the seventh, eighth and ninth rounds my legs just went." The fight that was named The Ring magazine Upset of the Year.

Back-to-back title shots

Following two knockout victories, Curry went back to France to fight Lineal/IBF middleweight champion Michael Nunn on October 18, 1990. Although Curry found the target, he didn't have the power to hurt the bigger champion. Nunn dropped Curry with a flurry of unanswered punches in round ten, and the referee stopped the fight.
In his next fight, Curry returned to light middleweight to fight Terry Norris for the WBC title. The fight took place June 1, 1991 in Palm Springs, California. It was a rough and competitive fight for seven rounds. In the eighth, Norris put Curry down for the count with a series of right hands. Curry retired after the fight.

Legal troubles

In April 1994, Curry, along with Darrell Chambers and William "Stanley" Longstreet, was indicted by a federal grand jury in Detroit on drug conspiracy charges. The ten-count indictment charged them with conspiracy to distribute cocaine, possession with intent to distribute cocaine, money laundering and being part of a continuing criminal enterprise. "My God, I don't know anything about this," Curry said. "I'm guilty by association. I've never, never ever had anything to do with drugs. I knew Stanley Longstreet and Darrell Chambers as boxers. I know nothing about any drug ring. I'm stunned."
In January 1995, Curry was acquitted on all charges, Chambers was found guilty and Longstreet took a plea deal. "I have been systematically...lynched and then castrated by, first, the news media, and then by the criminal justice system," Curry said afterward. He also said paying for his legal defense destroyed him financially.
In March 1996, Curry was jailed for failing to pay child support. He won work release soon afterward, but that was revoked after he again failed to make support payments. He served six weeks of a six-month sentence.

Return to boxing

In need of money, Curry returned to boxing. "This comeback is about a lot of things, but the bottom line is money," he said. "I wouldn't do this if I didn't need the money." Curry's first comeback fight was in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada on February 20, 1997. He knocked out Gary Jones in four rounds.
Curry's next fight was against Emmett Linton, who was one of the boxers Curry trained after he retired from boxing. The Linton fight wasn't just about money: It was personal.
Curry had been Linton's manager and trainer. The two had a falling out in 1993. Linton said he didn't like the way Curry was handling his career. Their feud really erupted when Curry accused Linton of giving information to the mother of one of his children about his finances, which Linton denied. The two got into a fight and guns were drawn but not used. Curry filed charges, but they were later dropped. Shortly afterward, Curry went to jail for failure to pay child support.
When Curry started his comeback, he asked promoter Bob Arum to get him a fight with Linton. Knowing that a good feud can sell a fight, Arum made the match. The fight took place at The Aladdin in Las Vegas, Nevada on April 9, 1997.
Curry was no match for Linton. He was dropped in the first round and took a beating over the next six. Referee Richard Steele stopped the fight in the seventh round. "I just didn't have it," Curry said. "I'm finished. I'll never box again."
After the loss, Curry went to Valley Hospital in Las Vegas and learned that he had fought Linton with acute pancreatitis. "That condition pre-existed the fight," said Phil Hamilton, Curry's manager. "We're thinking maybe that explains why Donald felt so weak during the fight, and why maybe he deserves the chance to fight again."
Curry went back to the gym when he was well. "I hope to give a better account of myself," he said, referring to the Linton fight. "I wasn't in shape and wasn't who I thought I was that night." However, Curry never did fight again. He retired with a record of 34-6 with 25 knockouts.

Professional boxing record

No.ResultRecordOpponentTypeRound, timeDateLocationNotes
40Loss34–6 Emmett LintonTKO7, 1:08Apr 9, 1997 The Aladdin, Paradise, Nevada, U.S.For vacant IBA light middleweight title
39Win34–5 Gary JonesKO4, 1:31Feb 20, 1997 Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
38Loss33–5 Terry NorrisKO8, 2:54Jun 1, 1991 Radisson Hotel, Palm Springs, California, U.S.For WBC light middleweight title
37Loss33–4 Michael NunnKO10, 1:59Oct 18, 1990 Palais Omnisports, Paris, FranceFor IBF middleweight title
36Win33–3 Jose Antonio MartinezKO4, 2:35Aug 17, 1990 Bally's Las Vegas, Paradise, Nevada, U.S.
35Win32–3 Brett LallyTKO2, 0:41Dec 26, 1989 Bally's Las Vegas, Paradise, Nevada, U.S.
34Loss31–3 René JacquotUD12Feb 11, 1989 Palais des Sports, Grenoble, FranceLost WBC light middleweight title
33Win31–2 Mike SacchettiTKO5, 1:05Jan 3, 1989 Lakefront Arena, New Orleans, Louisiana, U.S.
32Win30–2 Gianfranco RosiRTD10, 0:01Jul 8, 1988 Portosole, Sanremo, ItalyWon WBC light middleweight title
31Win29–2 Lupe AquinoUD12Jan 3, 1988 Palasport, Genoa, Italy
30Win28–2 Rigoberto LopezKO4, 1:54Dec 8, 1987 Country Club, Reseda, California, U.S.
29Loss27–2 Mike McCallumKO5, 1:14Jul 18, 1987 Caesars Palace, Paradise, Nevada, U.S.For WBA light middleweight title
28Win27–1 Carlos SantosDQ5, 2:25Apr 4, 1987 Caesars Palace, Paradise, Nevada, U.S.Retained USBA light middleweight title;
Santos disqualified for repeated headbutts
27Win26–1 Tony MontgomeryDQ5, 2:29Feb 7, 1987 Caesars Palace, Paradise, Nevada, U.S.Won vacant USBA light middleweight title;
Montgomery disqualified for repeated headbutts
26Loss25–1 Lloyd HoneyghanRTD6, 3:00Sep 27, 1986 Circus Maximus Showroom, Atlantic City, New Jersey, U.S.Lost WBA, WBC, IBF, and The Ring welterweight titles
25Win25–0 Eduardo RodriguezKO2, 2:29Mar 9, 1986 Will Rogers Coliseum, Fort Worth, Texas, U.S.Retained WBA, and The Ring welterweight titles
24Win24–0 Milton McCroryKO2, 1:53Dec 6, 1985 Las Vegas Hilton, Winchester, Nevada, U.S.Retained WBA and IBF welterweight titles;
Won WBC and vacant The Ring welterweight titles
23Win23–0 Pablo BaezTKO6, 1:40Jun 22, 1985 Harrah's at Trump Plaza, Atlantic City, New Jersey, U.S.
22Win22–0 James GreenTKO2, 0:40Mar 30, 1985 Moody Coliseum, Dallas, Texas, U.S.
21Win21–0 Colin JonesTKO4, 0:36Jan 19, 1985 National Exhibition Centre, Birmingham, EnglandRetained WBA and IBF welterweight titles
20Win20–0 Nino La RoccaKO6, 1:27Sep 22, 1984 Chapiteau de l'Espace, Fontvielle, MonacoRetained WBA and IBF welterweight titles
19Win19–0 Elio Diaz7, 3:00Apr 21, 1984 Will Rogers Coliseum, Fort Worth, Texas, U.S.Retained WBA and IBF welterweight titles
18Win18–0 Marlon StarlingUD15Feb 4, 1984 Bally's Park Place, Atlantic City, New Jersey, U.S.Retained WBA welterweight title;
Won Inaugural IBF welterweight title
17Win17–0 Roger StaffordTKO1, 1:42Sep 3, 1983 Stadio Antonino Lombardo Angotta, Marsala, ItalyRetained WBA welterweight title
16Win16–0 Jun-Suk HwangUD15Feb 13, 1983 Tarrant County Convention Center, Fort Worth, Texas, U.S.Won vacant WBA welterweight title
15Win15–0 Marlon Starling12Oct 23, 1982 Convention Hall, Atlantic City, New Jersey, U.S.Retained NABF welterweight title;
Won USBA welterweight title
14Win14–0 Adolfo ViruetUD10Jul 10, 1982 The Great Gorge Playboy Club Hotel, McAfee, New Jersey, U.S.
13Win13–0 Jake Torrance4, 1:07Jun 15, 1982 Hyatt Regency Hotel, Nashville, Tennessee, U.S.Torrance disqualified for repeated holding
12Win12–0 Bruce FinchTKO4, 1:10May 4, 1982 Caesars Palace, Paradise, Nevada, U.S.Won NABF welterweight title
11Win11–0 Mike SenegalTKO10, 2:05Mar 10, 1982 Sudduth Coliseum, Lake Charles, Louisiana, U.S.
10Win10–0 Curtis Ramsey10Nov 26, 1981 Las Vegas, Nevada, U.S.
9Win9–0 Vernon LewisTKO1, 1:09Oct 29, 1981 Will Rogers Coliseum, Fort Worth, Texas, U.S.
8Win8–0 Eddie CasperTKO1 Aug 22, 1981 Showboat Hotel and Casino, Las Vegas, Nevada, U.S.
7Win7–0 Eddie Campbell6 Jul 2, 1981 Playboy Hotel and Casino, Atlantic City, New Jersey, U.S.
6Win6–0 Joe TKO1, 2:40May 28, 1981 Hacienda, Paradise, Nevada, U.S.
5Win5–0 Danny FavellaTKO5, 2:06Apr 23, 1981 Will Rogers Coliseum, Fort Worth, Texas, U.S.
4Win4–0 Rigoberto LopezTKO2 Mar 26, 1981 Hacienda, Paradise, Nevada, U.S.
3Win3–0 Jerry ReyesTKO2Feb 26, 1981 Las Vegas, Nevada, U.S.
2Win2–0 Juan RamirezTKO2, 2:17Jan 16, 1981 HemisFair Arena, San Antonio, Texas, U.S.
1Win1–0 Mario Tineo1Dec 26, 1980 Caesars Palace, Paradise, Nevada, U.S.