64 years ago today: Donald Sample "Lone Star Cobra" Curry is born

Happy birthday, champ!

A refresher:

• 99+% success rate in the amateurs (fought over four hundred bouts and lost just four)
• 9-5 professional record in world title fights.
• 4 world titles captured across two weight classes
• 1 lineal championship at welterweight

In light of all the above, Curry remains IMO the most-snubbed person in the history of the IBHOF - despite him now finally being enshrined. He was first eligible on the ballot in 2013 and his induction wasn't until 2019. An outrage. It's absolutely inexcusable for him to have remained on the bubble for that long.

Some of the weak attempts I've seen at justification for that include that Curry "had a very short peak". Eh, that doesn't hold water. 11-0 run from Starling I through Honeyghan, with 8 of those for titles. Ring Magazine rated him #2/#1/#2/champ in the years '82-'85, and you can argue he was the best h2h welter on the planet for that entire four year stretch. Not really a flash in the pan.

I still maintain the decade-and-a-half delay had a lot to do with the homophobia (something deeply ingrained into the firmament of the sport's culture, and internalized by everyone from the combatants to coaches, and members of press row - far more rampant in the previous century but maintaining a foothold into this one).

My buddy @MRBILL and I used to rail at the absurdity of his omission; sadly I don't think MB lived to see it rectified.

 

I would imagine curry is the last thing you'd want a flight of free samples of, given your gochujang struggles.