BoxRec

Darren Barker is getting ready for his October 5th comeback by sparring with WBA and WBC super-middleweight champion Mikkel Kessler this week.

The Barnet Southern Area middleweight champion has not fought since the death of his brother, Gary, in a car accident last December.

Undefeated Barker, who won a gold medal at the 2002 Commonwealth Games, will return to action on the undercard of Jon Thaxton's British Lightweight Title defence against Dave Stewart at the York Hall in Bethnal Green.

The 23-year-old is currently in Copenhagen helping Kessler's preparations for his world title unification fight against Britain's Joe Calzaghe in November.

"It has been great experience sparring with Kessler and I'm more than holding my own," said Barker, who is short-listed for the Boxing Writers' Young Boxer of the Year award.

"I'm over here for a week and the quality he has got means the sparring is really beneficial for me. He's at the pinnacle of his game and a double world champion and sparring with someone like that can only bring you on. I've picked up some things which will be useful.

"I needed the time out of the ring to get it together but now I'm more hungry than ever.

"I'm supposed to be fighting again on November 2. I want to keep winning and then those title fights will come my way."

Source: sporting life

Am thinking of going down for the Thaxton bill. Has anyone here seen Daniel Herdman in the ams?

Barker had to quit his sparring with Kessler after three rounds, thursday morning, and go home to England, due to the beating he was taking
Darren Barker said,i am sorry but Kessler "is simply too rough

jangeorg wrote:Barker had to quit his sparring with Kessler after three rounds, thursday morning, and go home to England, due to the beating he was taking
Darren Barker said,i am sorry but Kessler "is simply too rough

Yeah?

If that is true, then it seems Kessler is being too rough. Bika also quit his contract halfway after being smashed around in sparring.

jangeorg wrote:Barker had to quit his sparring with Kessler after three rounds, thursday morning, and go home to England, due to the beating he was taking
Darren Barker said,i am sorry but Kessler "is simply too rough

Don't see anything to brag about there. Sparring should be a learning/preparation experience. A world champ using it as an opportunity to batter someone with far less experience strikes me as a bit sad...

Deram wrote:

jangeorg wrote:Barker had to quit his sparring with Kessler after three rounds, thursday morning, and go home to England, due to the beating he was taking
Darren Barker said,i am sorry but Kessler "is simply too rough

Yeah?

If that is true, then it seems Kessler is being too rough. Bika also quit his contract halfway after being smashed around in sparring.

Yes
http://www.teampalle.dk/composite-1490.htm

Does that seem a really small ring?
Also i'm sure i've read that Calzaghe doesn't spar many rounds before a fight.

Kessler mashing up his sparring partners. Good stuff.

Deserter wrote:

jangeorg wrote:Barker had to quit his sparring with Kessler after three rounds, thursday morning, and go home to England, due to the beating he was taking
Darren Barker said,i am sorry but Kessler "is simply too rough

Don't see anything to brag about there. Sparring should be a learning/preparation experience. A world champ using it as an opportunity to batter someone with far less experience strikes me as a bit sad...

Well Barker was bragging about more than holding his own so maybe Kessler got pissed off. Tyson in his prime used to go threw dozens of sparring partners preparing for fights.
I just hope that Joe is also puting in the hard yards as it seems that Kessler is.

ben k wrote:

Deserter wrote:

jangeorg wrote:Barker had to quit his sparring with Kessler after three rounds, thursday morning, and go home to England, due to the beating he was taking
Darren Barker said,i am sorry but Kessler "is simply too rough

Don't see anything to brag about there. Sparring should be a learning/preparation experience. A world champ using it as an opportunity to batter someone with far less experience strikes me as a bit sad...

I just hope that Joe is also puting in the hard yards as it seems that Kessler is.

No worries there, Enzo will be putting Joe through hell at the moment.
Plus Joe is always in great physical and mental shape come fight time.

Joe will square up, leave his chin up in the air & for the first time pay for it big time.

Think of all the tough guys he fought. Apart from Lacy they were all past their best. Woodhall gave him his best fight, but Woodhall's right arm was badly injured. Imagine how that hindered him in a tiring, draining fight.

Joe has always played the percentages with opposition. This time he's fighting someone fit, in his peak, and with an excellent all round game.


In sparring, Joe can't use his hands that much, can he?

Calzaghe will have to keep the fight fast. Kessler has a flaw vs southpaws - he won't try to win the battle of positioning i.e. getting his front foot outside of the opponent's.

ben k wrote:Tyson in his prime used to go threw dozens of sparring partners preparing for fights.

And look how well that prepared him when he finally faced adversity in the ring...
The young Tyson was awesome, but ultimately he was a bully and against the likes of Holyfield who were able to withstand his pressure he was unable to adapt his game or find any way to turn round the pattern of the fight.

Joe's making sweet love to Kessler, I can't wait!

Joe's leagues above a washed up Lucas, Beyer and better than Mundine.

Such a shame its being overshadowed by Hatton mayweather...

I usually don't make many bold statements here but i'll make an exception...

Kessler beating up sparring partners - proves nothing, maybe that he is a bully or maybe he needs the confidence..? I thought he was ok but havn't much respect for that.

Either way - JC is going to show him what being bullied is like!

The reason Barker had to quit the training 1 day before time was due to a swollen eye, thats all. No need to continue sparring with a swollen eye when you have a fight planned.

Freiheit wrote:The reason Barker had to quit the training 1 day before time was due to a swollen eye, thats all. No need to continue sparring with a swollen eye when you have a fight planned.

I have to agree..

Freiheit wrote:The reason Barker had to quit the training 1 day before time was due to a swollen eye, thats all. No need to continue sparring with a swollen eye when you have a fight planned.

Can`t you read,i think you can if you are from Denmark,Kessler beat the crap out of Barker,not just a swollen eye

Max Molyneux wrote:Joe's making sweet love to Kessler, I can't wait!

I think you already has done that,make sweet love to Calzaghe in his bedroom

jangeorg wrote:

Freiheit wrote:The reason Barker had to quit the training 1 day before time was due to a swollen eye, thats all. No need to continue sparring with a swollen eye when you have a fight planned.

Can`t you read,i think you can if you are from Denmark,Kessler beat the crap out of Barker,not just a swollen eye

Freiheit is by far the most informed, coherent, and sensible poster of the Danish boxing scene we have on Boxrec.

I've seen Kessler fight a handful of times (I mean seen live, not TV, I have done the latter for about 15 fights) as my wife is Danish and we co-incide a visit to Copehagan with a good fight card.

I simply can't see how Kessler gets close to Joe. His signature punch of the ramrod jab is actually his weakness, he doesn;t throw combinations after it as he is on his front foot.


guess we'll see in November.

jangeorg wrote:

Max Molyneux wrote:Joe's making sweet love to Kessler, I can't wait!

I think you already has done that,make sweet love to Calzaghe in his bedroom

Ahh thats the famous Danish wit we all here so much about

Don't see anything to brag about there. Sparring should be a learning/preparation experience. A world champ using it as an opportunity to batter someone with far less experience strikes me as a bit sad...

I completely agree with you. Although sparring should be competitive, at the end of the day, it's supposed to be a learning experience for fighters. A fighter who is clearly more efficient than his sparring partner taking liberties doesn't prove anything.

Kessler doesn't strike me as an individual who would take liberties, but i guess you never know do you?

Can't see Calzaghe taking liberties if Barker was helping him prepare.

sometimes in sparring it can just be 1 session where the better fighter feels pissed off or something and goes that bit harder

Loynesy wrote:

jangeorg wrote:

Freiheit wrote:The reason Barker had to quit the training 1 day before time was due to a swollen eye, thats all. No need to continue sparring with a swollen eye when you have a fight planned.

Can`t you read,i think you can if you are from Denmark,Kessler beat the crap out of Barker,not just a swollen eye

Freiheit is by far the most informed, coherent, and sensible poster of the Danish boxing scene we have on Boxrec.

Perhaps,but he can not read if he said it was only a swollen eye

jangeorg wrote:

Loynesy wrote:

jangeorg wrote:
Can`t you read,i think you can if you are from Denmark,Kessler beat the crap out of Barker,not just a swollen eye

Freiheit is by far the most informed, coherent, and sensible poster of the Danish boxing scene we have on Boxrec.

Perhaps,but he can not read if he said it was only a swollen eye

Oh right, a Team Palle press release said it, so it must be true.