Shaun Brown
Undisputed Fight Magazine
Many observers probably scoffed at the idea of the London middleweight going from going 12 rounds with the unheralded Domenico Spada to pitting his wits against world beater Sergio Martinez in the space of six months.
But come October 1 at the Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, the 29-year-old will enter the ring and square off against the man that many feel is only second to Manny Pacquiao on pound-for-pound lists. “I know what I’m going up against. I haven’t stopped watching him (Martinez) for the last few years. But he’s not a machine, he’s only a man and this is sport. If everything was a formality in sport no-one would watch it. Everyone loves the underdog, that’s why the Rocky films did so well,” said Barker when speaking to Undisputed.
Barker joins an ever growing Brit pack who found themselves plucked from fighting mid-level opposition to being matched up against someone, that on paper, is a challenge far too great. But the confidence is already bubbling away in the European Middleweight champion. “I’ve got a real feeling I can pull a big upset off. I’m bigger than him, I can match his hand speed and I’ve got a new found enthusiasm for the sport. Added to that I’ve got a seven month old little daughter that gives me a greater reason for doing it. I’ll be training like a lunatic,” warned Barker.
With so many British boxing fans willing to travel the world come rain, hail or shine, Barker is hoping he brings with him his own ‘Barmy Army.’ “We’ve already put out some feelers for who’s coming out. A lot of people are up for coming over but no package prices have been mentioned yet. It’s not exactly cheap but we’ll see what happens.”
Should Barker pull off one of the biggest boxing upsets in recent memory he wants to ensure that everyone realises what he will have achieved. “It’s not like I’m fighting a champion from one of the governing bodies I am fighting the best man I can possibly fight. I think the Ring Magazine title will be on the line, which means a lot to me. But when I do beat him, title or not I will have beaten the top man.
Undisputed Fight Magazine
“I’ve been fighting 16 years and it’s all been building for this one moment.” - Darren Barker
But come October 1 at the Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, the 29-year-old will enter the ring and square off against the man that many feel is only second to Manny Pacquiao on pound-for-pound lists. “I know what I’m going up against. I haven’t stopped watching him (Martinez) for the last few years. But he’s not a machine, he’s only a man and this is sport. If everything was a formality in sport no-one would watch it. Everyone loves the underdog, that’s why the Rocky films did so well,” said Barker when speaking to Undisputed.
Barker joins an ever growing Brit pack who found themselves plucked from fighting mid-level opposition to being matched up against someone, that on paper, is a challenge far too great. But the confidence is already bubbling away in the European Middleweight champion. “I’ve got a real feeling I can pull a big upset off. I’m bigger than him, I can match his hand speed and I’ve got a new found enthusiasm for the sport. Added to that I’ve got a seven month old little daughter that gives me a greater reason for doing it. I’ll be training like a lunatic,” warned Barker.
With so many British boxing fans willing to travel the world come rain, hail or shine, Barker is hoping he brings with him his own ‘Barmy Army.’ “We’ve already put out some feelers for who’s coming out. A lot of people are up for coming over but no package prices have been mentioned yet. It’s not exactly cheap but we’ll see what happens.”
Should Barker pull off one of the biggest boxing upsets in recent memory he wants to ensure that everyone realises what he will have achieved. “It’s not like I’m fighting a champion from one of the governing bodies I am fighting the best man I can possibly fight. I think the Ring Magazine title will be on the line, which means a lot to me. But when I do beat him, title or not I will have beaten the top man.
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