The nickname "The Cobra" is synonymous with one man in particular. Donald "The Cobra" Curry. A Fort Worth legend and a two-division world titleholder who held world titles in the welterweight and junior middleweight division from 1983 to 1989, and was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 2019. For the last 40 years, worldwide but especially in Fort Worth, "The Cobra" was and is Donald Curry! However, just like one great Dallas Cowboys Wide Reciever to the next pass down the #88, there's another "Cobra" on the rise. 21-year-old Sammy "The Cobra" Brown, a regional and state champion from Fort Worth. He is poised to carry that nickname to the next generation. Brown showed plenty of respect when asked about the nickname, "I go by cobra, and we already know we had someone who went by the name of cobra, Donald Curry. So I gotta represent!!" It's a lofty goal for the youngster, but he lacks no confidence and added, "my goal is to be better than him!" A lofty goal but not an unreasonable one.
Brown is scheduled to make his professional debut on February 11th at the Southern Junction in Irving, 43 years after Curry made his pro debut.
After a sensational amateur career that saw Brown win his first-ever tournament. He then went on to the national Golden Gloves and made it all the way to the semi-finals. The Fort Worthian combined a relentless love for the sport, natural athleticism, and a willingness to listen from his coach, a former title holder Kendrick Releford, also of Fort Worth, and parlayed that into massive amateur success. He won the regional and state Golden Gloves in 2022 at 165 pounds, and at that point determined it was time to turn pro.
In part, it was a financial decision, and in part, he was simply ready. Brown said "I lost my mom in 2013. I have a brother and a sister that I'm trying to provide for, and my granny. I am trying to take care of my family." A lot of pressure put on the 21-year-old."
Releford, who Brown describes as "like a father to me." is supremely confident in his pupil saying "from the beginning, you could tell he was something different... you couldn't hit him. I'd put him in with anybody. I never had any fear of putting him in with anybody." Releford spoke of "consistent development and staying busy" and insisted they weren't in a rush, and Brown will definitely find his sport in the sport. Relford went on to add that The Cobra's greatest strengths are his ability to adapt and being able to listen.
He is getting to adapt and make a big adjustment from the amateur ranks to the pros, something he is ready for. When asked if there was a difference between preparing for a professional fight and an amateur tournament. He said preparation is "pretty much the same, but we are working on more technical things. Staying tighter and keeping my defense tighter and we're sparring much better opponents... definitely running more and keeping the intensity high."
Brown will make his pro debut at the middleweight limit of 160 pounds, but the plan is to move him down to the junior middleweight limit of 154 and eventually down to 147 when he's ready to start competing at the world-class level. The same divisions Donald Curry competed at. At the top of the 147-pound division currently is WBC/WBA/IBF Worlch Champ Errol Spence of DeSoto and numb top-ranked contender Vergil Ortiz of Grand Prairie. The Fort Worthian acknowledges, "I got quite a while till I make it up there probably, not Errol [Spence], he'll probably be retired, but Vergil [Ortiz], yea I'll probably fight him.
That March to the top starts this February 11th at the Southern Junction, and the plan is to keep the Cobra bust throughout the year and have him fight at least 4 to 5 times this year, if not more. There's no rush to rush Brown to the top, but if he stays dedicated and stays focused, he could get there sooner than expected.