BEAUMONT, Texas -- Billy Costello, unheralded despite his perfect record, used a consistently thunderous left hook to not only rip the World Boxing Council super lightweight championship from Bruce Curry Sunday but to also drive Curry to the brink of retirement.
Costello scored a technical knockout a minute in the 10th round at the Beaumont Civic Center, ending Curry's almost two-year reign as champion.
'Maybe it is a good idea that Bruce gives up the fight game right now (at the age of 27),' said one of Curry's handlers, Jesse Reed. 'He's been to the top of the mountain and there is not much left for him there.
'Right now he has only about 70-75 percent of the athletic ability he once did. I think it would be a good idea for him to get out. I know that is what his mother wants and I think I see that is what he wants, too.'
Curry, making his third defense, was shaken early in the scheduled 12-round fight and never appeared ready to make a fight of it against the unbeaten Costello. It was Costello's 17th knockout in 27 fights.
The first three rounds were close, but Costello, 27, began to dominate for good near the end of the fourth round. A solid right late in that round buckled Curry's legs and he appeared to be on the verge of falling just before the bell sounded.
Curry was obviously arm-weary in the fifth round and even though he threw almost twice as many punches as Costello, those punches had little clout. Costello had one good flurry in each of the sixth through ninth rounds, but could not finish off the champion.
At the end of the ninth Curry was barely able to keep his feet under him and Costello was under instructions to increase the pace as the 10th round began.
Early in that round the weary Curry fell to the canvas under the force of what was ruled a push and moments later a withering left hook put Curry down for real.
Curry was up at the count of two and took the mandatory eight count. Referee Richard Steele allowed the boxers to continue with 2:25 to go in the round and Costello immediately backed the defenseless Curry into a corner.
Curry's manager, Billy Baxter, leaped up to the apron of the ring and urged the fight be stopped, but 25 seconds went by before Steele finally halted the barrage of punches being thrown by Costello.
'At first I thought I could take him out with one punch,' said Costello, a native of Kingston, N.Y. 'But my corner told me to throw more combinations and work him more.
'He (Curry) is a great champion. He took a lot of punches.'
Curry, from Fort Worth, Texas, fell to 34-8 with 17 knockouts.
'I felt confident all along,' said Costello, a decided underdog in the bout. 'I knew I had all the tools. All I had to do was put them together. He (Curry) was open most of the fight for the left because he kept dropping his right hand when he threw a punch.
'I felt like I could finish him off earlier.'
Costello's manager, Mike Jones, said that although nothing was yet official, Costello's first title defense would probably be against Ronnie Shields of Port Arthur, Texas.
'We have a commitment to fight Shields,' said Jones. 'The details still have to be worked out. We would like to stage the fight in New York because we fought in Shields' territory this time.'
