Prime V Prime - Don Curry V Felix Trindad @ Welterweight

[FLINT ISLAND]

Both in their prime - undefeated Welterweight Champions.

Both seriously destructive punchers.

Both vunerable to being hurt themsleves.

Both fast and explosive.

Both outstanding Welterweight Champions of their era.

Who would take this if a time machine brought them both together in their prime to duke it out on the Las Vegas strip for the undisputed World Welterweight Championship ?

[J]

Boxer of the PAST

[Jeff Thomas]

Trinidad off the floor in the second to win by 4th round KO. BOOM

[charlieb]

Trinidad will always be one of my favourites but a prime Curry would've been all wrong for him.

[bennie]

Curry had too many fights as an amateur (over 400), which is why his star fell as quickly as it did. I think he may have been flattered by the Colin Jones win, who was worn out after his two wars with Milt McCrory, and by his win over Nino LaRocca, who was overrated. Curry's biggest win is over McCrory, of course, who is built like Trinidad, although Milt the Stilt did not punch like Trinidad. I lean towards Trinidad because of his better longevity at the top. At the end of it all, regardless of prime vs prime, longevity is the key to greatness.

[Coco]

Curry had too many fights as an amateur (over 400), which is why his star fell as quickly as it did. I think he may have been flattered by the Colin Jones win, who was worn out after his two wars with Milt McCrory, and by his win over Nino LaRocca, who was overrated. Curry's biggest win is over McCrory, of course, who is built like Trinidad, although Milt the Stilt did not punch like Trinidad. I lean towards Trinidad because of his better longevity at the top. At the end of it all, regardless of prime vs prime, longevity is the key to greatness.

Who would you pick prime vs prime though?

[bennie]

Curry had too many fights as an amateur (over 400), which is why his star fell as quickly as it did. I think he may have been flattered by the Colin Jones win, who was worn out after his two wars with Milt McCrory, and by his win over Nino LaRocca, who was overrated. Curry's biggest win is over McCrory, of course, who is built like Trinidad, although Milt the Stilt did not punch like Trinidad. I lean towards Trinidad because of his better longevity at the top. At the end of it all, regardless of prime vs prime, longevity is the key to greatness.

Who would you pick prime vs prime though?

I don't think you can. It's like pitting McGuigan on the night he beat Pedroza, or Buster Douglas on the night he beat Tyson, against Abe Attell and Larry Holmes respectively. They were brilliant for one night, arguably good enough to beat Attell and Holmes on that one night, but everyone knows that Attell and Holmes were the better fighters because they proved it time and time again.

[Coco]

I think Curry's two wins against Starling are worth mentioning, prob more significant than the Jones and Rocca wins

[bennie]

I think Curry's two wins against Starling are worth mentioning, prob more significant than the Jones and Rocca wins

Well, the first one was a stinker, Marc, with both men too wary of each other. The second one, as you say, saw Curry at his best, unloading his short hooks and uppercuts from a tight guard and opening up and nearly stopping Starling in the 15th and final round. It was a blue-collar version of Leonard-Benitez, with Curry's hands a blur. The reason I am never sure about Curry is this. Even prior to the Honeyghan humbling, he was beginning to slip. He looked uncharacteristically sloppy in quick wins over Eduardo Rodriguez and Milt McCrory, slipping after missing shots and blatantly loading up, ala Tyson against Bruno. Don's power got him through, and it seems pedantic to knock a man who flattens two men in two rounds apiece, but then came Honeyghan, Mike McCallum...

[Counter-puncher]

I think Curry's two wins against Starling are worth mentioning, prob more significant than the Jones and Rocca wins

funny one that, some people rate the Starling wins much higher than others. I guess Starling's inconsistency doesn't help to paint him as an elite/top scalp (though I rate the wins myself)

edit: bennie, bennie, 'sloppy' vs McCrory??? haven't seen it in a while but i don't recall that, the falling over, etc etc, i mean it barely lasted 4 minutes and Curry seemed to land with nearly every punch

and that left uppercut, what a punch.

[bennie]

I think Curry's two wins against Starling are worth mentioning, prob more significant than the Jones and Rocca wins

funny one that, some people rate the Starling wins much higher than others. I guess Starling's inconsistency doesn't help to paint him as an elite/top scalp (though I rate the wins myself)

edit: bennie, bennie, 'sloppy' vs McCrory??? haven't seen it in a while but i don't recall that, the falling over, etc etc, i mean it barely lasted 4 minutes and Curry seemed to land with nearly every punch

and that left uppercut, what a punch.

I thought, at the time, he was lunging. It is pedantic of me, yes.

[Counter-puncher]

that uppercut wasn't a lunge, oooh he just coiled like a cobra and spat upwards with it. makes me go a bit girly every time i see it. agree he looked sloppy vs Rodriguez, from memory.

[bennie]

Yeah, a great shot on the counter and then a big right to finish the job in style. Curry's deterioration was startling, then, and watching him against Mike McCallum is just painful. Some say he hurt McCallum in the first round but I couldn't see it. McCallum doesn't even need to go to the body: Curry is fighting with his face.

[Coco]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a5y4XTGQ ... re=related

Curry's hand speed is blurring, a chilling knockout, you do see him lunge/slip and miss with the punch before the 1st knockdown though

[Counter-puncher]

Yeah, a great shot on the counter and then a big right to finish the job in style. Curry's deterioration was startling, then, and watching him against Mike McCallum is just painful. Some say he hurt McCallum in the first round but I couldn't see it. McCallum doesn't even need to go to the body: Curry is fighting with his face.

yeah, i think he got a little wobble out of McCallum's knees with a left hook to the point of the chin, McCallum's back leg just swivels through 180 after it. i don't buy the theory that Curry was comfortably outboxing McCallum, though- this might be retrospective wisdom but i could never see Curry standing in front of MM for 12 rounds without getting sparked, and McCallum was having successes in their exchanges. It's just that, whilst it lasted, Curry's quicker hands flattered to decieve somewhat by outlanding him with mostly shoeshine stuff.

thanks for the link coco

[THEBUTCH]

Curry by stoppage. So accurate and damaging, I could see him hurting Trinidad early doors and not letting him off the hook.

[FLINT ISLAND]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a5y4XTGQ ... re=related

Curry's hand speed is blurring, a chilling knockout, you do see him lunge/slip and miss with the punch before the 1st knockdown though

Curry reckons his best performance of his career was the night he fought Colin Jones.

Even though his win over Mitlon McCory was obviosuly more devasating and explosive.

Curry bust Colins nose with a right uppercut - that was a nasty cut - and ended Colins career and World title dream.

I would say Jones and McCory - were Prime Curry right there - thats the Curry who I am talking about - how he would that Curry fare against "Tito" Trinidad who beat De La Hoya and Pernell Whitaker and Oba Carr, etc.


I think Curry V Trinidad would be a really great match up for obvious reasons.

[McCannW14]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a5y4XTGQ ... re=related

Curry's hand speed is blurring, a chilling knockout, you do see him lunge/slip and miss with the punch before the 1st knockdown though

Its not so much his hand speed more his feet and how he regains his footing, then shoots from the hip with a left hook. Boom.

Curry better 147 then DLH PBF and Felix easy.

[Khaosai-Galaxy]

Never thought the Lone Star Cobra was all that (despite the best ever ring nickname)

Tito KO in 6ish

[bennie]

Never thought the Lone Star Cobra was all that (despite the best ever ring nickname)

Tito KO in 6ish

He was all that for a few fights, and ask yourself why Leonard made that one-fight comeback in 1984. It was inspired by the thought of a superfight with, not Hagler, but Curry.

[Autobarn]

curry was brilliant for about 3 few years. he would have outclassed trinidad.

[Autobarn]

Yeah, a great shot on the counter and then a big right to finish the job in style. Curry's deterioration was startling, then, and watching him against Mike McCallum is just painful. Some say he hurt McCallum in the first round but I couldn't see it. McCallum doesn't even need to go to the body: Curry is fighting with his face.

yeah, i think he got a little wobble out of McCallum's knees with a left hook to the point of the chin, McCallum's back leg just swivels through 180 after it. i don't buy the theory that Curry was comfortably outboxing McCallum, though- this might be retrospective wisdom but i could never see Curry standing in front of MM for 12 rounds without getting sparked, and McCallum was having successes in their exchanges. It's just that, whilst it lasted, Curry's quicker hands flattered to decieve somewhat by outlanding him with mostly shoeshine stuff.

thanks for the link coco

they were going tit for tat but curry's shots werea bit sharper.

i felt curry was boxing brilliantly but mccallum seemed a shade behind until that amazing knockdown punch. curry's eye swelling up may have prevented hims eeing the shots.

i agree though, curry wouldn't have been as effective if it had gone the long haul. his eye would have given him for trouble and mccallum would have started finding the body as well.

i felt it was a fine win for mccallum as curry was near-great before the honeyghan fight and was putting on some nice boxing vs mccallum, including a couple of very hurtful shots.

[manno]

I think this is a great fight to debate, so many intangibles. The only way ive leaned toward curry is that although both were vunerable, on the way to approaching their respective best curry seemed to hold a shot better, also very quick to pull the trigger.

[palooka]

as brilliant as curry was trinindad would've hit too hard and often and stopped him late on. another very decent bout would've been mccallum v trinidad and i think mike would've done tito some real harm.