Darren Barker interview from this morning

[lefty]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W4Mz-PE1USY

[smiling assassin]

Genuinely nice man. You can tell by the way he's speaking that he really feels that's it. Like the fact that he didn't want to talk about the injury and just said the better man won. Still one of me favourite British fighters in and out the ring

[lefty]

The mention of having trouble with his hip a month ago doesnt look great in terms of going ahead with this fight but whilst it might be taking the piss a bit with the fans that went over and stuff, you have to consider it from Barker's perspective. Do you go through with the fight and get a million pound pay day and then retire or do you pull out and get nothing and still retire with fornicate all?! It's not great for the fans that went out there but I cant really hate on Barker in terms of the situation he was in.

[Tomasino]

The mention of having trouble with his hip a month ago doesnt look great in terms of going ahead with this fight but whilst it might be taking the piss a bit with the fans that went over and stuff, you have to consider it from Barker's perspective. Do you go through with the fight and get a million pound pay day and then retire or do you pull out and get nothing and still retire with eff all?! It's not great for the fans that went out there but I cant really hate on Barker in terms of the situation he was in.

It's obvious anyone with any sense would take the fight. A million quid or sweet FA? Easy choice.

[stevieb_8006]

wish him all the very best. great guy. a least won the lot. did everything he could have and can be proud of his career.

[JediKnight]

i think if there was a poll and people answered honestly it would be 100% for take the fight and earn a million. I also don't think he went into the fight want to lose, most fighters would fight with a slight niggle.

I wish him well with his future. He seems like a nice bloke who has done what many people dream of but can't achieve even with a fully working Body. He has earned the respect of many and can now enjoy the family life.

[TJ77]

I got the impression he knew it was his possibly his last fight and cashed in.
I don't blame him and I like Darren.
However had I paid the £500 to go to Stuttgart and probably another £300 in spends 3 weeks before Christmas.
I would be royally f..ucked right off hearing him pretty much admit he knew he was throwing the dice.
Especially with all the speil about a long reign as champion.
Thankfully I have no friends that fancied going so watched the whole 3 min 52 seconds on telly in the hotel at Stamford Bridge ironically.

[hurlock]

The pay days a consolation for him. You think the level he's at & he can't even do road work!! He's happy & proud of what he's achieved & rightly so!
He knew he couldn't carry on & has lost a lot of money in defences, but the fact he's came back from adversity won a world title carrying injurys & to get such a lucrative defence has been his silver lining. I hope he uses & invests his purse wisely.

[winkveron]

I think you can tell how he approached the fight that he was just going for it, loading up with big shots from the off rather than boxing. It looked reckless but maybe with hindsight it was because he knew his body wouldn't last. I don't think anyone can begrudge him given what he's been through inside and outside of boxing. Great bloke, and he can be really proud of his career.

[Srebmun]

I like Barker


Watching that video tho' I find his speech quite slurred or something. Surely not wear and tear - few consolation drinks maybe?

[tonyevs]

Very few boxers will enter the ring without some sort of niggle or injury.
Calzaghe had bad hands - Haye had a bad toe.

Best of luck to Darren Barker.
Not a fave of mine in style dept. but always seemed a nice decent guy.

[Emmseegee]

I think his voice sounds different, possibly slurred as you say bit I think that will simply be down to they way he was feeling and a combination of pain killers with lack of sleep. He just looks worn out in general.

I think Barker will get a lot of work from Sky if he retires, well presented and quite well spoken so theres probably a Jamie Moore type roll there somewhere for him.

[TJ77]

Barker will have went in it to win it. Do you think he'd risk a bad KO, concussion and whatnot without even entertaining the possibility that he could do it? He thought he could, he hoped he could and then he asked a battle-worn body to go to the well one last time and it couldn't. Barker's done loads. Throw in injuries suffered and it's a minor miracle that he out-hustled Geale. The fans who travelled will be his hardcore lot, they've done well for him and he's done things for them, so they'll know how to take it. In relative terms, he'll have given them highs that, deep down, they wouldn't have dared dreamed possible when his body looked like it was breaking down a few years back.

As for those saying he conned the fans on other threads, that's utter bollocks. He went in there thinking he could do certain things, his body didn't respond so he tried to dog it out.

Im just saying id be pissed if id spent the dough not being a regular attendee at Darren's fight.
I don't begrudge him a penny .

[mickey1975]

I don't like him. I don't know what it is about him, but I never have. I thought he quit against Martinez and wish he would have fought any of the other Brits and Irish at his weight. I think they could all have beaten him but he would definitely have blamed injury.

[TJ77]

I don't like him. I don't know what it is about him, but I never have. I thought he quit against Martinez and wish he would have fought any of the other Brits and Irish at his weight. I think they could all have beaten him but he would definitely have blamed injury.

I think Martinez just showed the punch he couldn't recover from and Sturm nailed him with it.
You don't like southerners do you mickey? Tell't truth lad.

[TheCobra]

He definitely sounds a bit sozzled in that interview, never seen Darren like that before so I'm guessing it's just he'd had a lot of beverages after the fight.

[mickey1975]

I don't like him. I don't know what it is about him, but I never have. I thought he quit against Martinez and wish he would have fought any of the other Brits and Irish at his weight. I think they could all have beaten him but he would definitely have blamed injury.

I think Martinez just showed the punch he couldn't recover from and Sturm nailed him with it.
You don't like southerners do you mickey? Tell't truth lad.

I get accused of not liking Kell Brook too, which isn't true, and Carl Froch, which is. But, yes, those type of southerners get on my nerves.