BoxRec

Two oustanding Welterweight Champions who according to many fans just fell short of true greatness. But who would have won if they could have faced each other in their primes?

Would Don Curry have been able to use his tight defence to weather the storm and then fire back with counters?

Or would the bone crunching punches of Pipino Cuevas be way too much for Don Curry?

What do you think fight fans?

Curry by UD or late tko due to swellimg.and or bleeding

I think Curry at his best could have exposed Cuevas for what he was,a brutal punching but limited fighter.

Cuevas would have Koed Curry in about 5 rounds....... Curry wasn't that mobile and would be standing right in front of Cuevas which he'd love. At his peak Cuevas was an awesome fighter who could wreck a opponent with just a few punches.....

I was almost scared to be the first to say it, but Cuevas would have stopped Curry. Curry had excellant boxing skills but he wasn't especially fleet of foot and standing there trying to block that hook from Pipino... there are easier ways to earn a living. Also Curry had a tendency to get his head ahead of his hands, especially when fighting in close and that would be a liability against Cuevas

I think that prior to his loss to Honeyghan, Curry's razor sharp reflexes, excellent handspeed and decent power would be way too much for Cuevas. Pipino could definitely hit and had heart and a good chin, but in all honesty he feasted on guys who were fairly easy to hit. Against a boxer-puncher like Curry, he'd get ripped by counters and as he got increasingly desperate to land the big punch Curry would pile on the punishment. Curry by TKO around the 10th.

Seamus wrote:I think that prior to his loss to Honeyghan, Curry's razor sharp reflexes, excellent handspeed and decent power would be way too much for Cuevas. Pipino could definitely hit and had heart and a good chin, but in all honesty he feasted on guys who were fairly easy to hit. Against a boxer-puncher like Curry, he'd get ripped by counters and as he got increasingly desperate to land the big punch Curry would pile on the punishment. Curry by TKO around the 10th.

Cuevas beat very good boxers such as Clyde Gray, Harold Weston and Angel Espana who he took the title off and who was a very good boxer-puncher... all these boxers were probably more mobile than Curry imo.

Don Curry didn't have the best chin. If he was THAT easy top hit then he would have been stopped a lot more than he actually was.

Lefthookhappy19 wrote:Don Curry didn't have the best chin. If he was THAT easy top hit then he would have been stopped a lot more than he actually was.

Curry had a pretty decent chin but against Cuevas he'd be fighting a man with heavyweight punching power. The key to beating Curry was to force him back which is what Honeyghan did and this is definately what Pipino would do to him as well.

Silkov

I think you mean Angel Espada. He was a very gutsy fighter and either his 2nd or 3rd fight with Cuevas was incredible, an all out war with each guy taking turns pounding the hell out of the other. Still, Espada was not hard to hit. Clyde Gray. Very underrated fighter, but against Cuevas he was past his best. Harold Weston, very good boxer, but no power to speak of. That's not to disparage Cuevas opponents, but I truly believe that prior to his fight with Hearns, he had never faced anyone the caliber of Curry. And as for Cuevas hitting like a heavyweight, I'd say he hit more like a middleweight, which is still a big compliment.

In Donald Curry, you had one of the most skillful
and talented welterweights of the past thirty years.
He also had good power and was a terrific offensive
machine. Yes, Curry lacked durability, wasn't
dedicated, and didn't have all the heart in the world.

Pipino Cuevas had a powerful left hook, decent
durability, and quite a bit of heart. But he didn't
have much in the way of skills. I believe that
Curry would have taken Cuevas apart although
Cuevas had a puncher's chance.

- Chuck Johnston

Chuck1052 wrote:In Donald Curry, you had one of the most skillful
and talented welterweights of the past thirty years.
He also had good power and was a terrific offensive
machine. Yes, Curry lacked durability, wasn't
dedicated, and didn't have all the heart in the world.

Pipino Cuevas had a powerful left hook, decent
durability, and quite a bit of heart. But he didn't
have much in the way of skills. I believe that
Curry would have taken Cuevas apart although
Cuevas had a puncher's chance.

- Chuck Johnston

You have summed it up.

But Curry would have been right there in front of Cuevas. People forget that before the Hearns fight Cuevas would just walk through his opponents punches to land his own and I think he would steam roll Curry.
I think Cuevas is generally underrated today because of the Hearns and Duran defeats... he was much better skills wise than he is given credit for imo....

silkov wrote:But Curry would have been right there in front of Cuevas. People forget that before the Hearns fight Cuevas would just walk through his opponents punches to land his own and I think he would steam roll Curry.
I think Cuevas is generally underrated today because of the Hearns and Duran defeats... he was much better skills wise than he is given credit for imo....

You're probably right. I've only ever seen Cuevas in those 2 fights. The Hearns fight in particular makes him look like a poor fighter.

Jose "Pipino" Cuevas

Sad to think most people only remember him for the two defeats from Hearns & Duran.

This would be a cracker though.

If Curry survived the first 5 rounds then, and only then he might win a lop-sided decision.

BUT he would have to survive those first 5 rounds which IMO he would have been hard pressed to do.

Therefore I go for Cuevas in an early KO.

Of course Cuevas would have a punchers chance, but I would say that Curry lands a brutal left hook, similar to the one that dismantled Milton McCrory, around the second, or third round for a relatively easy blowout, but then again, if Curry got hit by one of Cuevas' bone-crunching shots...it could easily be the other way around, but 8, or 9 times out of 10, exceptional skill will win over exceptional power!

Barry, i agree with your last sentence. But I don't think Don Curry was that exceptionally skilled.

I thought Milton McCrory was a poor clone of his stablemate (Hearns)

I do believe what skill he had would have earned him a UD against Cuevas if he got passed the early rounds

Mccrory was badly weight drained against Curry I believe. Curry didn't have the handspeed and power of Hearns and Cuevas at his best had a very good chin.

silkov nails it when he writes about Curry's lack of mobility: Hearns had the long reach and could hit Cuevas way out there before Pipino got close enough to fight. Curious thing about his fight with Duran (Cuevas that is); the first round and a half they were trading ripping shots and Cuevas was holding more than his own. In the second, @the halfway point Duran lands an innocent looking body blow and Cuevas is visibly distressed so Duran gets there a time or two more that round, and several more the next. By this time Pipino is trying to wing that hook withouit moving either elbow from directly in front of his stomach and he was ko'd in the 4th.

With his skills, Curry should win by late round stoppage or lopside decision.But he also got floored when he won the title, and if that happened, then Pipino has a strong chance of winning by knockout.

....but against Cuevas he'd be fighting a man with heavyweight punching power.

says silkov.

It is also a classic example of why the britts don't know shit about fighters. Pipino was good puncher but didn't hit like a heavy. He was destroyed by Hearns. Duran came up from lightweight and KO'd him. As much as I can't stand Curry, he would box Pipino's socks off and win easily.

ringsider wrote:

....but against Cuevas he'd be fighting a man with heavyweight punching power.

says silkov.

It is also a classic example of why the britts don't know shit about fighters. Pipino was good puncher but didn't hit like a heavy. He was destroyed by Hearns. Duran came up from lightweight and KO'd him. As much as I can't stand Curry, he would box Pipino's socks off and win easily.

Well of all the posters on this forum you are the worst excuse for a boxing 'expert' I've seen by a long way. You know eff all and are only good at talking s**t and trying to wind people up.
Now be a good boy and go to bed or you'll be late up for school tomorrow...

Wind people up? hardly...you talk stupid and were called on it. It is that simple, just like you, simple.

ringsider wrote:Wind people up? hardly...you talk stupid and were called on it. It is that simple, just like you, simple.

Yeah, well being called stupid by you is a compliment. I bet you've never even seen any of Cuevas fights you prat.