Colin Jones (born 21 March 1959) was a Welsh boxer that became British, Commonwealth and European welterweight champion….who before turning professional, he represented Great Britain at the 1976 Summer Olympics in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. He was one of the hardest punching welterweights of his generation….with the ability to knock fighters out with a single shot from either hand….which allowed him the luxury of being a notoriously slow starter. In a 2nd round stoppage of Danish fighter Hans Henrik Palm, Jones won the European crown and confirmed his arrival as a world class fighter. He only lost three times in a career of 26 wins with 23 by KO and 3 losses and 1 draw….when one was by disqualification to Curtis Ramsey after landing a late blow after the bell….then once again by split decision to world champion Milton McCrory….and for the 3rd time when he was stopped in four rounds (cuts) by a world champ Donald Curry….as seen in the video herewith. The latter two losses came in challenges for the world title after he had drawn with McCrory in his first attempt to claim it….whereby despite these setbacks at world level in fights that could have gone either way….he was dominant at the domestic level with his two “come from behind” knockout victories against the gifted Kirkland Laing particular highlights. Although Colin Jones was a modest and well-respected fighter….he is still regarded as boxing royalty in his native Wales….while having won the BBC Wales Sports Personality of the Year in 1983.
Donald Curry (born September 7, 1961) is an American former professional boxer who competed from 1980 to 1991, and in 1997…..when he held the undisputed welterweight title from 1985 to 1986….the WBC super welterweight title from 1988 to 1989….and challenged once for the IBF and lineal middleweight titles in 1990.
On February 13, 1983, Curry Jun-Suk Hwang for the WBA welterweight championship….which had become vacant after the retirement of Sugar Ray Leonard…..as Curry suffered a flash knockdown in the 7th round….but otherwise dominated the fight….while winning by a lopsided fifteen-round unanimous decision. Three months later, Curry’s older brother, Bruce, won the WBC light welterweight title….as they were the first pair of brothers to hold world titles simultaneously. After making his first title defense, a 1st round knockout of Roger Stafford, Curry had a rematch with Marlon Starling….as Curry mixed up punches to the body and head while staying on top of Starling….and pounding out a fifteen round unanimous decision to retain the titles of the WBA and the newly formed IBF….which had elected to recognize Curry as their champion before the fight.
Curry’s next three fights were successful title defenses….as he stopped Elio Diaz in eight rounds….Nino LaRocca in six….and Colin Jones in four….as seen in this video herewith. His next two fights were non-title fights at junior middleweight….when he stopped James “Hard Rock” Green in two and Pablo Baez in six.
On December 6, 1985, Curry fought undefeated WBC welterweight champion Milton McCrory to unify the welterweight titles….when in the 2nd round, Curry slipped a McCrory left jab and countered with a left hook to the chin that sent McCrory down….to which McCrory struggled to rise….and when he did, Curry dropped him again with a solid right cross….as Referee Mills Lane counted McCrory out…..and Curry became the first undisputed welterweight champion since Sugar Ray Leonard retired in 1982.
