Lloyd Honeyghan - Can He Be Ranked Above Curry?

The excuses for Curry losing to Honeyghan are pathetic.

Curry was in his prime. All fighters have to make weight. It's an amateur's excuse, blaming weight-making.

Curry never showed a style that would have coped with the style and pace Honeyghan brought that night, IMO.

 

I must say that I think there's more than a grain of truth in this post, although saying Curry wasn't tight at the weight appears to meet almost universal disapproval. Curry had looked pretty sharp in his previous defence, just 4 months before the Honeyghan fight, although that did only last 2 rounds and wasn't a physically demanding fight.

I particularly agree with Unforgiven's last paragraph - I actually (honestly) picked Lloyd to win this fight - much to the ridicule of my friends at the time! I felt Lloyd had the versatility, footwork, angles, speed, power and downright nastiness in his boxing to be a stylistic nightmare for Curry, who had a superb "plan a" but hadn't had to respond to a challenger who could handle his "plan a" thus far. My big question for this fight was - what if Curry's plan a didn't work? Well, we found the answer in this fight!

Honeyghan I think is often remembered as the slugger he seemed to become after he won the title, but in his pre-world title days showed a lot of flair, style, classy boxing ability and good power. I remember watching Honeyghan's pro debut live (Dec '80) and thinking that there was a lot of talent there.

Such a shame that Lloyd seemed to forsake his fluid boxing skills once he became world champion.

But in answer to the original question, I believe Curry will be rated higher than Honeyghan historically, despite the win. Curry's overall body of work (particularly their comparitive results vs Starling) stand Curry in good stead.

 

I might rate Curry a little bit above Honeyghan too, on points of resume, but neither would make my top 15 welterweights of all-time so it hardly matters.
I think people are wrong to say it's no even close, or that "no way" can Lloyd rank higher. It's absolutely acceptable.

 

honeyghans win over curry is better than any win curry has at welterweight and the only wins on your list that are better than the blocker win are the two over starling , for me anyway

the curry weight drained excuse i dont buy into much he previous two fights were good wins over mccrory and rodriguez

 

the ring magazine had curry as haglers successor at middleweight did lloyd wiped the floor with him

 

Hear! Hear!

People always discredit Honeyghans victory quite unfairly imo. He also had good victories over Giafranco Rossi and Blocker as well. His peak wasn't very long though as someone pointed out earlier. H2H he'd always be too much for Curry, rather in the sameway Starling would always be a nightmare for him.

 

To anybody who wasnt around at the time of Honeyghan-Curry, with respect, they have no idea how big an upset this was. Curry WAS NOT over-the-hill/jaded/past it whatever anyone wants to call it. Honeyghan simply did a number on him , against all the odds, and is one of the biggest upsets of all-time. Curry was being hailed as the next best thing to Leonard and a possible hard fight for Hagler. Curry was huge

 

Curry was being talked about as the next opponent to Hagler ,and compared very favourably to SRL .It was a tremendous upset.:good

 

Honeyghan was quite like the "improved" Pac of recent years, for a very brief period at least.

quick feet, good hands, awkward rhythm and a really good lead right, which he used in conjunction with sudden surges of aggression.

He didn't really put a lot of steady pressure on Curry, it was the footspeed and sudden quick right hands that had Donald befuddled.

Of recent years Pac vs Barrera reminds me of it in the way the more highly regarded fighters had the play taken away from them with unorthodox quick foot movement and repetitive, but effective powerpunching while trying to plant their feet and punchpick methodically.

The entirely flat, not particularly courageous and one paced performance by the loser is also comparable in both fights.


That said Curry's troubles making weight were well known at the time as well, his own fault sure, but you would be a fool to think fighters always follow good advice, or make the right moves in preperation.I don't think Curry was at his sharpest and he did look drained and physically out of sorts, but his performance is certainly worthy of criticism regardless.Fighters getting the accolades Curry was are meant to overcome these sort of things, even if they have to struggle.

 

I think Honeyghan got to far ahead of himself in a way after the Curry win. He kinda thought of himself as a brawler when in fact he was a pretty decent boxer prior to the Curry fight

 

Curry "walked" away from his old trainer, and it was well known in Dallas he should have moved up in weight and not taken the Honeyghan fight.

But he did, and got his a## kicked...which was his own fault.

 

:good i'am well with you on this:yep Curry & his camp along with the yank scribes totally dismissed Honeyghan as nothing but the usual B level Brit/Euro fighter as they did back then. Lloyd was superb & boxed as we know he could & he knew he could win also & Curry had absolutly no answer to what Lloyd dished out to him, Curry just did'nt know what the **** to do when he met someone who was just as fast as him & countered him to death then followed up with a blistering barrage, he'd never fought anyone like that before & Lloyd ripped his heart out, simple as:deal

Like yer said, after Lloyd beat Curry he turned into the bullyboy party animal & just went about slugging it out at any opportunity:huh I suppose he thought he was invincible, pity he never stuck too what got him there, but it's got too be the greatest acheivment by a brit fighter overseas to go in with the Undisputed Champ & totally dominate & dismantle him in style.

 

Honeyghan ruined Curry, and Curry never forgave him for it, there is a funny story i read somewhere about them meeting years later, and Curry ignoring Lloyd and bemoaning "that guy cost me my career"..........

 

:goodThis post is 100% correct:good.I was around at that time and Curry was considered one of the top p4p fighters.Then the Ragamuffin Man beat his ass and that was that.

 

Career wise, Lloyd Honeybaby is on par with Donny Curry, however, I ain't so sure Honeybaby makes the IBHOF... Curry ain't there either in 2011, but he should be... Curry gets a slight hair of favortism by me...
:deal
MR.BILL:rasta

P.S.

Honeybaby was horrid in '90 against Markus Breland...:dead