Curry had a short prime as we all know, but what a prime it was. Great technician. Oscar was always that guy that was supposed to be the answer to Leonard but didn't quite live up to that standard(Who could?). But he was talented and tough. Who comes out on top? I say Curry via UD with his advantage in speed getting it done. I wouldn't be surprised if he floored Oscar with a quick left hook late in the fight.
I think ODH would've taken him out late in the fight, behind on the cards. People forget, in addition to being an entertainer and a grand attraction, ODH at his best was a master boxer. He changed up his style quite a bit to please his fans, but there's very few fighters I'd pick to out-box him if he chose to take such an approach. Fortunately, for the most part he didn't, and as a result, his fights were entertaining and memorable, even in defeat. Also, when he did box, he wasn't necessarily a favorite of the judges - Mosley/ODH II, Trinidad/ODH. It's at least one reason he fought for the most part aggressively and with bad intentions. But as I said, fighting off the back of his foot, bouncing, and using his left jab, he was among the best. Had he been younger and in the position to fight this way against PBF there's no doubt in my mind he would've won no fewer than 8 rounds.
Curry. Oscar had nowhere near the skill set of a prime Curry. The Cobra was as technically good as any fighter Ive ever seen. Donald would beat Oscar from the outside, inside, and would be making Oscar miss alot more than DLH is used to. Curry was alot physically stronger than Oscar, and I see him applying pressure and Oscar hopping on his bike. Only Curry wouldnt stalk like a retarded zombie the way Tito did. He'd come forward while scoring, and still staying defensively smart. Thats not to say I think it'd be a totally one sided fight. I dont wanna sell Oscar too short, cause DLH was very good in his prime. But Curry was better, and in the end would be a clear winner. And please nobody bring up the Honeyghan fight. Obviously Oscar would beat THAT Curry. I'm talking about the Curry that beat McCrory, Starling, Larocca, and Jones. Stevie Wonder could see that the Curry that got beat by Honeyghan wasnt him at his best.
Curry isnt Tito, and he's not Floyd. Other than Leonard, and Hearns, theres NO OTHER welter in the past 30 years that would "outbox" Curry. Not even Benitez, and Benitez is one of my all time favs. Like I said... Curry was as technically brilliant as any fighter Ive ever seen. Always in perfect position, was able to block AND counter(something Quartey couldn do) could fight at distance, as well as inside... and was as accurate with his punches as any fighter ever. And thats not an exaggeration. Watch a prime Curry and notice that when the man threw a punch, 95% of the time it landed with pin point accuracy. Due to styles, I'd give Tito a better chance of beating a prime Curry than I would Oscar. Style wise, Curry is a nightmare for Oscar.
agREED. Curry was something else before the wheels fell off. I remember when a lot of folks gave Curry a shot of knocking off Hearns and/or Hagler. I wouldn't have picked him against either...but at that time Curry was good enough that the notion of him winning either fight didn't seem out of the question.
My comments about ODH's boxing skills were an aside. I don't mean to suggest he would've out-boxed Curry, or even tried. But I do think he'd push Curry to the brink such that the knock-out would come late in the fight. I've seen both of Curry's fights with Starling. Great chess matches. I just think ODH's heart and courage, not to mention his hand-speed and punching power would prevail in the end, again, after having been behind on the cards. In his prime, ODH took a lot of chances. And in this case, I think they would've paid off.
Did you see the Quartey fight? Or the Oba Carr fight? Or the Hernandez fight? I think you're referring to one fight - and that's the Tito fight - and it was an exception to the rule. You think ODH didn't take chances against Vargas? Or Mosley for that matter? You take out the Tito fight and your statement is utterly false. Leave it in, and you're characterizing ODH's temperment based on one fight in which his opponent was obviously not wrapping his hands legally.
I saw teh Quartey fight...I saw Quartey win that fight. I also saw Oscar scared shitless of Quartey's jab...god forbid Ike had a right hand behind it...wait...Curry did. I saw the Oba Carr fight. I saw Oscar having a nice little scuffle with Carr (who had been previously beaten senseless by Trinidad) until he caught Carr with a damn good punch. I'm assuming you mean Genaro Hernandez...who entered that fight with a broken nose courtesy of a sparring session with Shane Mosley...you know Mosley, the guy 2-0 against Oscar. The Vargas fight was dead even and Vargas won all but the last 10 seconds of that round until getting clipped by a shot he didn't see. To directly answer your question...no...Oscar took no chances in any of those fights.
Ummm...eye injury and retirement?? At the time of Leonard's last title defense at 147, Curry still hadn't fought a real contender and wasn't in a position to warrant a title shot. And even if Leonard didn't suffer the eye injury...he was headed up to Middleweight and Hagler. And...oh good...now that you have found something else ridiculous to dwell on I guess we will all be subjected to unfounded claims of Leonard "ducking" all kinds of fighters. I guess it's no worse than your claims than Leonard was nothing but a "grappler".
Leonard apparently tried to keep Curry at 147 in the mid 80s when Leonard was fighting every 2 to 3 years, promising Curry a fight at 147. REED interviewed Curry on this subject, Donald basically said "no comment".
That is interesting. When there is proof of if I will be happy to read it. And if it did happen, why didn't Curry say so? It's not like he'd be missing out on the big Leonard payday 20+ years later for opening his mouth. In 1984, Leonard made his one fight comeback and then promptly re-retired when he was unhappy with his performance. I don't recall any sort of a proposed Leonard fight against Curry or anyone else from that time until he issued a challenge to Hagler after Hagler-Mugabi and the Hagler-Hearns rematch was being discussed. And IF Leonard WAS considering a Curry fight during the mid-80's...it would make sense to have the fight at 147 since at that time Curry was the only one of the two who held a belt and it was at 147.
To be honest, I wouldn't call that "proof" of anything. Rumors in boxing are a dime a dozen, as they say. All you have done here is to give Double L something unfounded to hate on Leonard with. :: And, true to form, Double will act like both Curry AND Leonard swore to it under oath in a congressional hearing and it is a stone cold fact.
one of the most talented fighters EVER. Hands down. for a brief moment of time he was as good as anybody
