Barker-Martinez: Darren has to raise his game to beat Sergio

By Boxing News - 08/18/2011 - Comments

By Sean McDaniel: Former European Boxing Union (EBU) middleweight champion Darren Barker is going to have to fight at a much higher level than what he’s shown in the past when he steps up against WBC Emeritus middleweight champion Sergio Martinez on October 1st.

Barker, 28, got picked out by Martinez because of Barker’s No.3 ranking by the World Boxing Council, and because Martinez couldn’t get fights against the guys he wanted to take on – WBC middleweight champion Julio Cesar Chavez Jr., and WBA junior middleweight champ Miguel Cotto.

Neither of those fighters appears to be even slightly interested in tangling with the powerful southpaw Martinez. As such, Martinez has to settle for fighting the little known Barker simply because of his ranking and not because he’s someone that will give him a good fight.

Barker has fought local domestic level opposition throughout his career and there’s been a reluctance to put him in against better opposition until now.

He’s been brought way too slowly and it’s disappointing that he only now is fighting a world class fighter this close to entering his 30s.

Barker may not be anywhere near the same league as Martinez, but he is good enough to have beaten more than a few of the top middleweights in the division had he been matched up against them in the past.

As it is, he’s wasted so much of his career that it’s a little sad. However, he’s got to make the best of a bad situation and hopefully Barker can fight well enough to move onto other top fighters in the division.

Barker needs to use his jab and move constantly to keep letting Martinez draw a bead on his chin. You don’t want Barker fighting like he usually does by just standing there in front of Martinez making it easy for him.

Barker has a bad habit of trading shots with his opposition. Against the 3rd tier scrapers that he’s been mostly fighting, it doesn’t matter because he’s stronger than those guys and can take their shots. But he won’t be able to fight this way against Martinez and survive long.

Martinez will plant him if he just stands there in front of him. He’s got to move, duck, jab and keep out of the way as long as possible.

In the later rounds, Barker, if he’s still standing, needs to press the attack and try and win some rounds and hope he can make it slightly close.



Comments are closed.