By Scott Gilfoid: 31-year-old former IBF middleweight title holder Darren Barker (26-2, 16 KO’s) has decided to retire rather than continue on with his career and try and avenge his 2nd round knockout loss to Felix Sturm. Barker was blasted out by Sturm last December in Germany.
Barker suffered another hip injury in that fight, and Sturm was able to bat him around the ring until Barker’s corner tossed in the white towel to end the fight. The hip injury would have made it tough on Barker to try and work his way through another training camp to get ready for a Sturm rematch.
It’s debatable whether Barker should have tried to make it through one more fight given that he would have made some good cash for a second fight against Sturm. I’d have done it if I was him, but I guess it must have been too painful for Barker.
“No chance. You won’t see me in the ring again,” Barker said to Sky Sports.
Unlike a lot of fighters, Barker reportedly made enough in his boxing career for him to retire without having to fight again. Still, it would have been nice if Barker had gotten that one last payday fight against Sturm. Who knows? Maybe he’d have gotten lucky and pulled out a win, as long as he didn’t pull the same move he did that got him knocked out by lowering his head while standing in close next to Sturm. Barker really blew it with that move. He should have kept upright and not exposed the back of his head to Sturm.
Barker’s best fights of his career came against Sergio Martinez, which he lost by an 11th round TKO, Daniel Geale, Kerry Hope and Domenico Spada. Barker barely beat Geale to win the WBA 160 lb. strap last year in the Summer. That was easily Barker’s crowning point of his career. He got up from a body shot knockdown in the 6th and came back to edge a motivated but limited Geale by a narrow decision.
It would have been interesting to see how Barker would have done against WBA middleweight champion Gennady Golovkin, as he was very interested in fighting Barker, but he never had the chance to get him in the ring.
Comments are closed.