By Scott Gilfoid: Carl Froch, Kell Brook and Eddie Hearn all see IBF middleweight champion Darren Barker (26-1, 16 KO’s) being able to successfully defend his title tonight against 34-year-old former two-time WBA 160 lb. champion Felix Sturm (38-3-2, 17 KO’s) at the Porsche Arena, Stuttgart, Baden-Württemberg, Germany.
Froch said to Sky Sports “I can’t see Barker having any trouble at all. I think he’ll out-box Sturm. I can’t see an upset. I think Barker will out-box Sturm quite simply.”
Brook said “I think he’s [Barker] going to make a statement in this fight.”
After seeing Barker lose to Sergio Martinez and get dropped by practically the only body shot he was hit with in his last fight by Daniel Geale, I don’t see how anyone can pick Barker to win this fight. He’s too passive when facing good opposition, and his ability to handle body shots has to be a major question mark going into this fight. When Barker gets hit to the body, he either backs off, stops fighting, or as we saw last August, he hits the canvas. Body punching is the one thing that Felix can do very well besides jabbing, and I think we could see Barker get hit in the body and going down on all fours in this fight like he was in the Geale fight.
Hearn said “I think Darren’s going to comprehensively beat him.”
Some boxing fans think the 34-year-old Sturm is too old to win this fight, and that he’s ready to be put out of his misery. However, Sturm doesn’t feel this way, and points to older fighters like Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Bernard Hopkins as a sign that he’s still got a lot of years left in the sport.
Sturm said to Sky “Joe Calzaghe was one of my role models, and he was at his best at 34-35. Floyd Mayweather is right now 36, and he’s still in tremendous shape, and he’s still pound-for-pound king. Bernard Hopkins is 48. Age is just a number nothing else.”
I agree with Sturm. He’s not to the point where he’s slipped in a major way. Yeah. he’s lost a little in the past 5 years, but not enough to where he’ll lose to a fighter like Barker. All Sturm has to do to win this fight is throw jabs and nail Barker with some body shots around the sides of his waist near his hips. I don’t think Barker will be able handle it to the body, and he’ll be back in a familiar place on the canvas on his hands and knees where he was at in the Martinez and Geale fights.
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