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Darren Barker might be a Chelsea fan but if Wayne Elcock’s trainer is to be believed then he’s definitely not the special one.
Veteran Birmingham fight figure Paddy Lynch says he’s seen enough of Barker to form the opinion that he won’t stand in the way of Elcock regaining his British Middleweight crown when they clash at the Brentwood Centre on November 28.
The two men meet in the headline bout of a Hennessy Sports event which is live on ITV4 and Lynch believes that the prestigious Lonsdale belt will be going back to Birmingham. “I’ve watched Barker progress over the years and he’s a nice, tidy boxer, there’s no doubts about that,” admitted Lynch.
“He ticks all the boxes in that he’s solid in every department but I don’t believe he’s a ten out of ten in any one area. I don’t see anything special about him and if the right Wayne Elcock shows up then there’s no reason why he can’t regain that Lonsdale belt.
“Wayne knows he needs to reproduce the form that won him the British title first time out against Howard Eastman. If he can do that then he will be British Champion again, it’s as simple as that.”
At 35, Lynch admits time isn’t on Elcock’s side as he bids to become a two time British Champ. “There’s no doubt that Wayne’s drinking in the last chance saloon but that’s what’s driving him for this fight,” said Lynch. “He knows that a win here will put him back to the top of the stack so he’s taking it very seriously.”
Elcock was dethroned as British Middleweight King earlier this year in an all Birmingham showdown with Matthew Macklin but Lynch says that anyone writing Elcock off based on that performance is making a big mistake.
“People have been saying that Wayne’s finished after that fight but that’s certainly not the case from what I’ve seen from him in the gym. Wayne trained hard for the Macklin fight and physically he was fine but mentally I know he had other things on his mind at the time and he wasn’t anywhere near the fighter he can be. He knows this time around that there are no second chances so he’s really up for this one.”
The undercard at the Brentwood Centre will feature Colchester’s Lee Purdy defending his Southern Area Welterweight title against Wokingham’s Mark Douglas. Waltham Abbey middleweight Daniel “Mr. Slick” Cadman will also end a three year hiatus from the ring when he fights on the undercard alongside bouts featuring exciting light middleweight Yassine El Maachi and unbeaten prospects Bradley Evans, Bobby Ward, Phill Fury and Steve Barnes.
Tickets for the bout priced £30 and £80 are available from the Ticketline box office on 0844 888 4402 or via www.ticketline.co.uk.
