“So, who is the biggest fighter [from Dallas]? Donald Curry [and] Curtis Coates came from Dallas,” Mike Tyson once recalled recognizing these boxers’ contributions to the sport through their spectacular boxing careers. Over a year after this shoutout, though, boxing legend Donald Curry was recently diagnosed with an unfortunate brain disease at the age of 63.
The Fort Worth, Texas native managed to decorate his resume with titles in two weight classes during his career spanning 40 professional fights (34 wins) before retiring in 1997. However, now he is gripped by Traumatic Encephalopathy Syndrome, a condition that occurs due to repeated head blows. The news broke when Curry’s son Donovan shared the unfortunate update on social media.
Donald Curry: A career worth a million words
Born on September 7, 1961, in Fort Worth, Texas, Curry was destined for greatness from the beginning, as he would go on to make a name for himself in the 1980s. Known in the ring as ‘Lone Star Cobra,’ Curry possessed exceptional skill, speed, and power, which helped him amass an amateur record of around 400 wins against just 4 losses
As his reputation may have suggested, he quickly won multiple national amateur titles and earned a spot on the 1980 U.S. Olympic team. However, things didn’t go as planned for ‘Lone Star Cobra.’ The US was boycotting the Moscow Summer Olympics in protest of the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan, and Curry seems to have paid the price for it.
He never got the opportunity to compete for the gold medal, which, by the way, many believed was his to take with ease. However, he left the tragedies in the rearview mirror and set out on his professional journey in December 1980. After a mere fifteen fights, Curry won his first major title—the then-vacant WBA welterweight title on February 13, 1983—by defeating Jun-Suk Hwang via a 15-round unanimous decision.
By the time the mid-1980s rolled around, Curry’s career had peaked, as he became the undisputed welterweight champion. It was his boxing style, a blend of technical brilliance and devastating power, which earned him the nickname ‘Lone Star Cobra.’ He went on to successfully defend his title multiple times. However, what goes up must come down!
September 1986 saw Curry suffer a shocking upset loss to Lloyd Honeyghan. Honeyghan stopped Curry in the 6th round, ending his dominance in the welterweight division. This loss was devastating for Curry, and he was never the same. He moved to light middleweight and even managed to win the WBC title in 1988 by defeating Gianfranco Rosi. But his career had taken a hit, as he incurred more losses.
Finally, Curry retired from the sport in 1991 but made a comeback in 1997 when he fought twice and hung up the gloves for good. His last fight was against Emmett Linton, which he lost, putting his final professional record at 34-6. 27 years since that night, Curry’s son Donovan had to make the heartbreaking announcement as he urged for help.
“I’m reaching out to the boxing community to ask for assistance in finding a long-term healthcare facility for my dad,” Donovan wrote on social media. “A few years ago, with the help of Chuck Williams, my dad underwent a brain scan at the Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health, where he was officially diagnosed with Traumatic Encephalopathy Syndrome (TES).”
“This condition has caused impairments in judgment, reasoning, memory, and behavior, including poor impulse control. For some time, he was being cared for at an incredible church facility in Fort Worth, thanks to the support of his former trainer, Paul Reyes, who recently passed away.” Donovan explained that his father could no longer reside in the facility “due to incidents of fighting and breaking rules.”
“He is currently staying in a hotel in Fort Worth,” the post added. “We are searching for a facility that specializes in patients with conditions like my dad’s, ideally one that operates at no cost. If you know of any resources, facilities, or organizations that could help, please don’t hesitate to reach out. Thank you for your time and support during this challenging time.”
Since then, prayers for the boxing legend have been pouring in from across the globe.
Fan recalls sacrifices a ‘gladiator’ like Curry makes in boxing
iFL TV shared the unfortunate update on X, sparking conversations among fans. One user paid their respect to the boxing legend. “The sacrifices a gladiator takes are not small, and every blow taken is a high-stakes gamble that can alter your reality. All respect to those who do ,” the user wrote on X.
Meanwhile, another user, still shaken, expressed his despair. “Top fighter, awful news,” the user commented. From the looks of things, Curry has been suffering for a while, but nobody expected things to escalate.
Someone else spoke about Curry’s legacy and how it affected the user. “I was a fan of Donald Curry growing up most [people] only remember him from his KO losses and he had some bad ones like against Mike McCallum, but people forget that he was once the undisputed welterweight champion of the world,” the user wrote. He was not only the undisputed champion but also defended it once before having to part ways with it.
It’s been confirmed that former two-weight world champion Donald Curry has sadly been diagnosed with Traumatic Encephalopathy Syndrome, a brain condition that commonly occurs from repeated head trauma.
Curry became undisputed welterweight champ back in 1985 before moving up to… pic.twitter.com/xNJpodf3AE
— IFL TV (@IFLTV) January 6, 2025
Amid all this, this user tried to help by raising awareness about Curry’s condition. “Here is a medical journal speaking about the growing evidence that Ibogaine (a psychedelic plant from Gabon, Africa) has extreme benefits in treating Parkinson’s. Also, studies are being done on traumatic brain injury as well,” the user wrote, attaching a link to a study.
The next user wrote about Curry’s work a day before his son broke the news. “Donald Curry was 400- 4 as an amateur ( doesn’t get talked about much). The only reason he didn’t get a gold medal is US boycott of the Olympics. If that doesn’t happen and he wins gold, he could easily be #1 American,” the user wrote.
That said, it appears the boxing world was shaken because of the sudden escalation of Donald Curry’s diagnosis. Hopefully, Curry’s family will receive the help they are looking for. What are your thoughts on the matter?
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