Barker vs Sturm: December 7 in Germany

[crusader]

Rumors are that the fight is set for December 7 in Germany.

http://www.BS.com/barker-sturm ... any--70164

[davie]

Rumors are that the fight is set for December 7 in Germany.

http://www.BS.com/barker-sturm ... any--70164

why on earth is he taking his title to germany.
i know geale got the decisions over there, but it's a massive risk.

barker must be confident that sturm has faded to the point where this will be a certainty.
i'm not that confident.
i'd fancy barker to beat sturm but not easily and certainly not wide enough to avoid being screwed by a bad decision.

i've perhaps got a cheek considering some of the poor decisions and early stoppages there have been over here in recent times, but barker is champion. that gives you the right to take advantage of the home town decision

[earsjohn]

It's a 2 fight deal, a la Froch v Bute, with the first bout in Stuttgart on 7th December and the return in London in March. Eddie's tweeted details this morning.

With a 2 fight deal, it means if Darren does get jobbed in Germany he'll have an immediate opportunity for revenge.

[Final round]

Rematch + 'sick money' . Good fight.

[winkveron]

Is a 2-fight deal a good idea, and better than just a one-off in London? Guarantees him 2 pay days if he loses the first one I guess.

[Parson Cross]

It's a two fght deal even if he wins mate .....

[zero]

He's doing it for the money, stupid mistake in my book although I don't pay his mortgage.

[danamba7]

Looking forward to this. Barker to win via decision in Germany, then knocks him out in London. Defends again against Geale knocking him out too. Then a huge British showdown with Murray (tough one to call) then retire after a very respectable career. Best for him to avoid GGG! Quillin would be interesting though.

[forcefraser]

Can`t knock Baker for going after the money. Sturm is still a big draw in Germany and it will swell the old Baker bank account.

Not a fight that really whets the appetite though.

[thepocketrocket]

Sturm is the only German fighter ever to get the shaft in Germany!!!

[danamba7]

Strange thing is German boxing in my opinion. Not the best or most exciting fighters on the whole. Some names pull massive crowds though. Also the atmosphere seems pants compared to over here. It's like they enjoy boxing, but not enough to shout about it

[Jack B]

"Barker and Sturm’s teams struck an agreement where the Londoner faces the former WBA champion in Germany with a return fight in London scheduled for March at Barker's option."

This is only a two-fight deal if Barker loses.

Let's cut the PR crap - the situation is pretty simple. Sturm, the IBF mandatory, has clearly out gunned Matchroom financially in negotiations. He's a huge name in Germany (self-promoted with big TV backing). Barker, to be frank, isn't a huge name in the UK.

So that leaves him with two options. Lose a purse bid, or negotiate a deal. My guess is he's taken a lower split of the money (it would have been 75/25 if it had gone to purse bids), but in exchange he has gotten a rematch clause. Either way he'd have been fighting in Germany.

That being said, I feel he has a good chance here. Sturm is clearly on the slide, and this is probably his final hurrah. He was lucky not to lose against Macklin and Murray, lost to Geale and lost to Soliman (changed to a no contest but I doubt that Soliman's doping was the difference between winning and losing). You look at his record, and there's not many good names there. Steady title holder, but nothing special, very protected.

Let's hope Darren does the business - if he can, 2014 could be a great year. A rematch with Geale (which could well be in the UK) followed by a big domestic clash with Murray or Macklin is very possible. And hey, even if he loses, he gets another bite at the cherry with Felix.

[thepocketrocket]

Strange thing is German boxing in my opinion. Not the best or most exciting fighters on the whole. Some names pull massive crowds though. Also the atmosphere seems pants compared to over here. It's like they enjoy boxing, but not enough to shout about it

Give me the respect, classy air of a German night, than the moronic football mentality you see at 99% of British shows

[thepocketrocket]

Also, I don't think Sturm lot to either Geale or Soliman

[davie]

after hearing years of excuses why we weren't seeing the big domestic clashes, we were supposed to be waiting on one of barker/murray/macklin winning a world title, then the domestic match ups would be made......

now barker gets a title and we're looking at 2 potential fights with sturm, who has lost his last 2 and was lucky not to lose to macklin and murray before that and a rematch with geale before any chance of the domestic rivals getting it on for the title.

this stinks. these are fights we want to see and have done for some time, they are fights that would make reasonable money against guys who have fought at this level themselves.

these are the fights that should have been made before any other.

[danconnollyeire]

Rumors are that the fight is set for December 7 in Germany.

http://www.BS.com/barker-sturm ... any--70164

Barker will win the fight clearly and Sturm will get the decision

[danamba7]

Strange thing is German boxing in my opinion. Not the best or most exciting fighters on the whole. Some names pull massive crowds though. Also the atmosphere seems pants compared to over here. It's like they enjoy boxing, but not enough to shout about it

Give me the respect, classy air of a German night, than the moronic football mentality you see at 99% of British shows

I'd rather have the noise and passion of the English than the 'class' of the Germans. The Froch Bute and Forch Kessler fights were unreal. The atmosphere makes a fight so much more memorable. And Michael Buffer, Dan Rafael, De La Hoya and Mayweather can't speak highly enough of the atmospheres we produce. Even small hall shows are electric.

[thepocketrocket]

Rumors are that the fight is set for December 7 in Germany.

http://www.BS.com/barker-sturm ... any--70164

Barker will win the fight clearly and Sturm will get the decision

Yes, because Sturm hasn't been bent over against Geale and Soliman at all.....

[thepocketrocket]

Strange thing is German boxing in my opinion. Not the best or most exciting fighters on the whole. Some names pull massive crowds though. Also the atmosphere seems pants compared to over here. It's like they enjoy boxing, but not enough to shout about it

Give me the respect, classy air of a German night, than the moronic football mentality you see at 99% of British shows

I'd rather have the noise and passion of the English than the 'class' of the Germans. The Froch Bute and Forch Kessler fights were unreal. The atmosphere makes a fight so much more memorable. And Michael Buffer, Dan Rafael, De La Hoya and Mayweather can't speak highly enough of the atmospheres we produce. Even small hall shows are electric.

Your opinion.....

[Jack B]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gpT7onG1wv0

EH sums up the situation well here. They've gone over there for the money. If it had gone to purse bids, Sturm would have pulled out as he brings virtually all the revenue but would only get 25% of the pot. It still makes sense for Darren to go to Germany, as a lower split of a Sturm fight is still far more than he could earn against any other potential IBF mandatory challenger. The rematch clause is the very sensible insurance policy.

It's a pretty good deal for Darren. Even if he loses, he earns a (probable) career high purse and gets a rematch, at home, within 3 months. Can't complain with that. Matchroom have done very well.

[mickey1975]

So how can the Germans offer so much more? Is it ppv over there? They wont fight anywhere bigger than The O2 and Sky surely have the budget for a big homecoming without ppv. They cant spend everything on Football.

[Jack B]

So how can the Germans offer so much more? Is it ppv over there? They wont fight anywhere bigger than The O2 and Sky surely have the budget for a big homecoming without ppv. They cant spend everything on Football.

I don't know the ins and outs of it but Sturm is pretty big business over there. He self-promotes and has a contract with a major TV network (Sat.1), which I think is pan-European, so must generate a lot of revenue through multi-country advertising etc. Not sure if it's pay TV/pay-per-view.

The only fights he really promotes are his own so I assume most of their budget goes on him. Compared to Barker who, budget wise, would not be considered a top tier fighter with Sky.

Like most sports, I don't imagine ticket revenue plays much of a part, to be honest. It's all about TV money, Sturm is simply a much bigger name in Germany than Barker is in the UK, and therefore brings more revenue to the table.

[deadpan]

I think it's a good deal. It'll be a tasty payday, Sturm has slipped in my view, and if Barker gets robbed he gets chance to remedy it. Sturm is his mandatory so the fight was inevitable.

[jimcook]

after hearing years of excuses why we weren't seeing the big domestic clashes, we were supposed to be waiting on one of barker/murray/macklin winning a world title, then the domestic match ups would be made......

now barker gets a title and we're looking at 2 potential fights with sturm, who has lost his last 2 and was lucky not to lose to macklin and murray before that and a rematch with geale before any chance of the domestic rivals getting it on for the title.

this stinks. these are fights we want to see and have done for some time, they are fights that would make reasonable money against guys who have fought at this level themselves.

these are the fights that should have been made before any other.

cant blame barker for looking to earn . he came up the hard way, paid his dues, and got nothing put on a plate for him. had a lot of injuries and is gettin on a bit, so dont grudge him an opportunity to put some cash in the bank. if he gets through the sturm fight commitments he will be free to fight the domestic opposition, but i would rather see him avenge his loss against martinez, or go up against ggg. they are all potentially good fights.

[ThereByTheGrace]

Anyone know what would the options be if it was a Draw? Not out of the ordinary to expect that!

If Sturm wins, he could drop the belt and not come to london and go for another world title. Barkers career would be in tatters.

Barker and nice guy eddie think its a great deal, but ze Germans aren't daft!