Bull Curry - Starting Out

Starting Out

At the age of sixteen Curry joined the circus in order to help provide for his four brothers and sisters. His job at the circus was that of the “tough man” who took on all comers from the audience in a fight he had 65 strait wins without anyone going past 1 5 minute round. Then In his twenties, Curry became a policeman in his hometown of Hartford, Connecticut where he put his “tough man” background to good use in the streets, quickly earning him a reputation for toughness. On one occasion a wild steer bull broke out of the Hartford stockyard and ran wild in the streets. Curry literally grabbed the bull by the horns and managed to wrestle it to the ground earning him the nickname “Wild Bull” that stuck with him for the rest of his life.

Later on in the 1930s, Curry began wrestling in Detroit, Michigan under promoter Adam Weissmuller (uncle of Johnny Weismuller) who also trained him for his professional career. Curry stayed in Detroit for several years developing his brutal, hardcore style of wrestling that made him a top name in the territory. Curry was so well known that he even faced legendary heavyweight pro boxer Jack Dempsey in an exhibition match in 1940. Years later Curry would often claim that he knocked Dempsey out in the match but the truth is that Curry was stopped in the second round.