Donald Curry prime for prime againt De la Hoya at WW!?

I don't see it like a better step. He was a naturally gifted fighter who was prime for a short time (1983-1985) but he never showed Oscar's high caliber style in the consistent way. What would give Curry a big edge is the sole reason that Curry was more comfortable at the weight, yet Oscar at welterweight still fought ok, but his left hook power was not as effective. But still no one Curry fought in 1983-1985 (including Starling) could compare to Oscar's speed.
I remember one fight and the name is coming to me a little, but I still don't remember fully. Curry had a fight in March of 1986 on free TV just a few months after the McCrory fight. Maybe I will remember the name someday, but he fought a guy on maybe CBS and I seem to recall the guy might have been a southpaw. Curry was hit clean a few times but knocked the guy out in 2 or 3. Now either Curry was starting to slip then, or some of the defenses lapses which would later define Donald were coming up. Those defenses lapses would not work against a guy like Oscar or any elite. They look for those holes. And I think Oscar would find something, even in 83-85. And I think Curry's win over Milton McCrory was great. I think Milton was a little overrated because of the comparison to Hearns, but the fact is he struggled with Colin Jones and Curry easily beat Colin-also Milton had a 72 inch reach, so even though he was tall he was always in reach of anyone.

 

Jose Luis Lopez maybe as far as raw punching power is concerned?

Curry is a much sharper puncher, obviously.

 

Possibly.I saw lopez against his fair share of fighters he could land well on though and he didn't really look any more heavy handed in destroying them.I'd have him on par.

Curry's combination of power and technique was scary.imo it was more impressive than, say zarate's combination of power and technique, about on par with young Wilfredo Gomez.Then you add in the top-notch single shot speed....He was a much more destructive fighter than i think is the general consensus nowadays.

Just a pity he couldn't handle the Nuclear charged power and awkward aggression of the ragamuffin man.:yep

 

I know the fight you mean and after watching it I thought to myself ....it's definitely time for you to go to 154. By this stage everyone knew of the trouble he was having getting down to 147 and that sooner or later it would catch up with him

I just can't see that at any stage 147 DLH was equal to the fighter that Curry was, between 83 - 85

 

Maybe cuz he was more of a patient boxer-puncher rather than a seek-and-destroy/always pressing for the knockout type of fighter?

That loss to Ragamuffin is rather dissapointing.

Sure, Honeyghan was excellent at his peak and his style would have always given Curry problems.

And Curry was weight-drained and probably was slightly more straight-forward technicaly than in his early fights.

But still it was no Nazarov-Mendy/Frazier-Foreman/R.Lopez-Alvarez-like performance by Curry.

 

do you have a youtube account?

 

Aye, he quit on his stool after offering only the most token of efforts once Honeyghan started to land and pull ahead.

he did look very drawn, so even a Kalule vs McCallum sort of effort before retiring in the corner would have sufficed if he knew he wasn't physically up to it, but what he gave came close to a no mas.

 

Oscar had some talent. He also had some flaws that cost him at the highest level of the game. Those flaws cost him fights. Lack of a ring identity. Questionable stamina. No righthand to speak of. Virtually no infighting ability.

Sugar Ray Robinson
Sugar Ray Leonard
Kid Gavilan
Emile Griffith
Jose Napoles
Thomas Hearns
Roberto Duran
Pipino Cuevas
Wilfedo Benitez
Carmen Basillio
Curtis Cokes
Marlon Starling
Donald Curry
Pernell Whitaker {we saw him past it beat Oscar}
Shand Mosley {moved up and beat Oscar in 2000}
Oscar would be an underdog against all these guys just post 1940 on. That's at his absolute peak.

PS I didn't include Mayweather because I think Oscar as a shot to beat him. Floyd doesn't push a fast pace or throw a high volume at `47.

 

Oscar was a great star and great for boxing. He was an excellent fighter. Still though I think he would've been better had he stuck with one trainer and developed a style. Not just go from one extreme to the other.

 

Yes, I have Curry's fight with Nino LaRocca......... I was pumped prior to that fight on reg. TV in '84........... I thought LaRocca was the real deal in 1984, but Curry pretty much exposed him enroute to stopping him.... LaRocca never really rebounded, either.....

I was disappointed with Roger Stafford when hewas doing all that praying jazz in the locker-room while Curry was really warming up....... Come fight time, Stafford got waxed inside 1 freakin' round......

MR.BILL