Darren Barker (26-2-0, 16 KO) is no stranger to hardship outside the ring. Especially in 2013 when he had to come to terms with the bereavement of a loved one. In addition to this loss, a string of returning injuries have plagued the British Middleweight throughout recent years.
Despite these testing times when he debated hanging up his gloves for good, his chance at glory arrived when offered the chance to fight for the IBF crown. An outsider, Barker defied the odds in a balls-to-the-wall fight against Australia’s formidable Daniel Geale. And when the Split Decision was announced, Barker collapsed, clearly flooded with emotion.
This was a Cinderella Story – and it pulled at many a Brit’s heartstrings. (A few ‘manly’ tears may have fallen.)
The happy ending wasn’t to last long, however. On December 7th, Barker’s first title defense against Felix Sturm (39-3-2, 18 KO) in Germany ended in heartbreaking fashion. On paper, that night’s fight was deemed even, a tossup. But as the fight began, it was clear Barker was in with a top-notch contender who didn’t plan on putting in any overtime.
Sturm, the 34 year old three-time world champion, had no problem ending the fairytale. He wasted not a second, and dropped Barker twice en route to a 2nd round stoppage. Early in the 1st round, the Brit became overwhelmed by the strong German who started fast and landed big. Barker’s defense was penetrated, but he bit down and began to return fire with fire.
It was in the 2nd round that Barker found himself in deep waters. Not long after the bell, he went down from a hard right-hand. Barker got back to his feet, not about to let his title defense slip away, but soon found himself back on the deck courtesy of the same shot.
Barker beat the count once more, but this time staggered and winced while looking to his lower quarters – a region which had been plagued by injury for a long time.
Barker was now fighting against both a world-class operator and what was revealed post-fight to be a dislocated hip. Neither could be beaten in the contest, and this became overtly clear when Sturm swarmed a defenseless Barker with power shots. Unable to witness the carnage any longer, Barker’s corner rightly threw in the towel. At the 2:09 mark, Felix Sturm captured the IBF Middleweight title, becoming a four-time world champion.
Equipped with a belt and high-profile win, Sturm will now swiftly climb the Middleweight rankings. An exclamation point such as this will surely earn him a big name fight in the new year to follow.
As for Barker, he will return home in not such high spirits. Given the extent of his severe hip injury, it’s highly unlikely he could return to the ring and compete. A handicap such as this would simply seem too great. Short of a miracle medical procedure, he may find himself with a hard decision to make over the next few days.
Let us know your own thoughts on Sturm vs Barker in the comments section below.
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