| Posted on Fri, Apr. 30, 2004 | ||||||||
 Local manager dies of stomach cancerStar-Telegram Staff Writer <!-- begin body-content --> Longtime Fort Worth boxing manager David Gorman died Wednesday at a nursing home in Whitney. He was 61. Gorman, who died of stomach cancer, managed world champions Donald Curry, Steve Cruz, Gene Hatcher and Troy Dorsey. All of them trained in his gym in Fort Worth. "During that period in the 1980s, he was absolutely the leading manager in the country," Top Rank president Bob Arum said. "He had a group of fighters that were truly outstanding. They were the most popular and well-regarded fighters in the sport. He had Curry, Hatcher, Robin Blake and Cruz. That was an unbelievable collection of guys. "I haven't seen it since." Those who knew Gorman praised the mark he left in Fort Worth and in the sport of boxing. "I remember the last story they did on him a couple years ago, he said, 'I'm not a legend,' " Dorsey said. "I think he's a legend. I don't see how anyone will disagree with that. ... Mr. Gorman made sure his fighters were taken care of. You didn't have to worry about him [saying] one thing and doing another." Dick Cole, boxing administrator with the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation, knew Gorman when Cole was an amateur fighter in the 1960s. He later helped officiate fights at Gorman's gym. "He'd have a fight card, and half the card would be David's fighters," Cole fondly recalled. "There were old ones, young ones. When he hit with Donald, it just seemed like he got blessed. Bing, bing, bing. Then Gene ended up winning the title and little Steve. All of a sudden, everything was peaches and roses." Trae Thompson, (817) 548-5451 mtthompson@star-telegram.com | ||||||||
RIP
RIP