Fort Worth sports legend Donald Curry in dire situation; his son pleads for help
Once one of the best, and most feared, of his sport now lives in a Fort Worth hotel in need of serious assistance.
Fort Worth native Donald “The Lone Star Cobra” Curry, who was inducted into the Boxing Hall of Fame in 2019, has struggled for many years with behaviors that those close to him believe stem from injuries sustained during his long and decorated career as a fighter.
On Friday morning, Curry’s son, Donovan Curry, took to the social media app X (formerly known as Twitter) to plead for his dad:
“Hello, this is Donovan, Donald’s son. I’m reaching out to the boxing community to ask for assistance in finding a long-term healthcare facility for my dad.
“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. However, due to incidents of fighting and breaking rules, my dad had to leave.
“He is currently staying in a hotel in Fort Worth. 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.”
Those close to Donald Curry and familiar with his condition had feared this type of scenario for many years.
The Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health are medical institutes that are “dedicated solely to the pursuit of more effective treatments for memory loss, dementia and other cognitive disorders and to the provision of state-of-the-art care for individuals affected by these diseases and their care partners.”
Curry, 63, retired in 1991 but came back to fight again. His final fight was in 1997.
In an interview with the Star-Telegram three years ago, Donovan Curry spoke at length about his dad’s condition, and living situation. At the time Donovan Curry said he believed his dad was showing signs of CTE (Chronic traumatic encephalopathy).
The condition stems from repeated head trauma, commonly associated with contact sports. The only way it can be properly diagnosed, however, is to examine the person’s brain tissue during an autopsy.
At the time of the interview, Donovan said his father was doing better. His father had run into situations with family members that led to erratic, and unstable, living arrangements.
Donald Curry reached out to me two years ago; his speech was somewhat slurred, and slow. He was coherent, but it was a struggle.
Before his final bout, he was one of the best boxers of his time, both as an amateur and a professional. He should have been a part of the United States Olympic team in 1980, but the U.S. boycotted the Summer Games in Moscow.
After Curry turned pro, in 1980, he reached the highest levels of boxing and became one of the top welterweights. He won the WBA welterweight title in 1983, which he held through 1986.
In 1985, he knocked out Milton McCrory in Las Vegas to become the undisputed title holder of a belt that had been vacated by Sugar Ray Leonard.
Referee Mills Lane, who worked that fight, said of Curry, “On the precipice of being a great, great fighter. When history tells the story, he may be one of the greatest.”
Curry would remain the WBC light middleweight title holder from 1988 to ‘89.
Like so many boxers, Curry struggled with the transition to life outside of the ring. Hard financial realities along with personal problems were a shadow.
When he was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame, it did look like Curry was in a stable spot and that he was OK. In 2023, he was inducted into the Nevada Boxing Hall of Fame.
Curry was active on social media, particularly Instagram, posting some recent photos of himself but mostly action shots of his professional career.
Those were from a different time in his life, and now he needs help. If you are interested, and can, help Donald Curry, both his X and Instagram accounts are @LoneStarCobraTX.
