Curtis Cokes facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Curtis Cokes
Cokes at Texas A&M University-Commerce campus, 2014
Statistics
Rated at	Welterweight
Nationality	American
Born	(1937-06-15)June 15, 1937 Dallas, Texas, U.S.
Died	May 29, 2020(2020-05-29) (aged 82) Dallas, Texas, U.S.
Stance	Orthodox
Boxing record
Total fights	80
Wins	62
Wins by KO	30
Losses	14
Draws	4
No contests	0

Curtis Cokes (born June 15, 1937 – died May 29, 2020) was a famous boxer from Dallas, Texas, United States. He was known for being a world champion in the Welterweight division, which is a weight class for boxers. Curtis Cokes held three important world titles at the same time: the WBA, WBC, and The Ring World Welterweight Champion. He was also famous for his tough training methods, which he used for himself and for other boxers he trained.

Becoming a Champion

Curtis Cokes started his professional boxing career on March 24, 1958. His first fight was against Manuel Gonzalez, and Cokes won! He won his first eleven fights in a row, showing he was a very promising boxer. He fought Manuel Gonzalez a few times, winning some and losing some. He also fought other important boxers like Luis Rodriguez, who was also a world welterweight champion. Cokes beat Rodriguez in one of their fights. After many fights, Cokes briefly retired in August 1964, but he quickly decided to return to the ring in October of the same year.

After coming back to boxing, Curtis Cokes won three fights in a row. This led to a big opportunity! On August 24, 1966, he fought Manuel Gonzalez for the fifth time. This time, it was for the vacant WBA and WBC world welterweight titles in New Orleans. Cokes won the fight, becoming the world welterweight champion!

Defending His Titles

As a world champion, Curtis Cokes had to defend his titles against other top boxers.

• On November 28, 1966, he successfully defended his title against Jean Josselin from France.
• On May 19, 1967, he won by knockout against Francois Villeiman.
• On October 2, 1967, he faced Charlie Shipes, who was also recognized as a champion in California. Cokes knocked Shipes out in eight rounds.
• On April 18, 1968, he kept his title by knocking out Willie Ludick in the fifth round.
• On October 21, 1968, he won a fifteen-round decision against Ramon La Cruz.

Curtis Cokes was a very strong champion, holding his titles for a long time.

After Losing the Title

Curtis Cokes lost his world welterweight title on April 18, 1969, when he was knocked out by Cuban boxer José Nápoles in Los Angeles. They had a rematch on June 29, 1969, in Mexico City, but Nápoles won again by knockout.

After losing his titles, Cokes had eleven more fights. He won seven of them, lost three, and had one draw. His last three fights were in South Africa. He officially retired from boxing after winning a fight against Ezra Mnzinyane on October 5, 1972.

Curtis Cokes finished his boxing career with an impressive record of 62 wins, 14 losses, and 4 draws. He won 30 of his fights by knockout!

Life After Boxing

After retiring from boxing, Curtis Cokes became a boxing trainer. He helped many other fighters, including Quincy Taylor and Ike Ibeabuchi, improve their skills.

Cokes also appeared in a movie! In 1972, the same year he retired, he was in the film Fat City, directed by John Huston. He acted alongside famous actors like Jeff Bridges and Stacy Keach.

In 2003, Curtis Cokes was honored for his amazing career by being inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame. This is a very special award for boxers who have achieved great things.

Death

Curtis Cokes passed away on May 29, 2020, at the age of 82. He died from heart failure.

Professional boxing record

See also

• List of world welterweight boxing champions