Sergio "Maravilla" Martinez vs. Darren Barker Saturday October 1st

[Dropanuke]

I fully see barker putting up a far better fight than Paul Williams!!
Never judge a book (barker) by it's cover.
Also Paul Williams is the most un disciplined fighter in history

[armin]

I fully see barker putting up a far better fight than Paul Williams!!
Never judge a book (barker) by it's cover.
Also Paul Williams is the most un disciplined fighter in history

Uhm pwill did put up a hell of a fight in their first meeting, so much so he even got a w...

[Rantcatrat]

I'm also getting excited about this fight. I believe Darren Barker is being underrated in this fight. I still wonder if Barker really has the experience to face Martinez, but Barker will be the first true middleweight contender that Martinez has faced since Pavlik and he looks like a strong middleweight. Did anyone catch his fight with Conroy McIntosh? The fight isn't readily available on youtube although I read on boxrec that Barker was put down twice in that fight. It had me wondering that if Barker was put down by a journeyman scouser, he won't last with Martinez, but I'm not 100% on it.

[erics44]

ive seen barkers last 10ish fights and he has struggled in 1 against a french fella although I hear he was ill going into the fight, he dominated the start and then clearly felt the pace

all the others he has won quite easily, his last fight against spada was comfortable and there was very little danger of him losing

so he is a good fighter and much better than British domestic / european level

The worry is he lacks power to put Martinez under any pressure and he hasnt got any experience in these types of mega fights

if i was to put just one bet on, I'd say a Barker KO victory in 5

[Mar]

They should have another no name fighter lined up for sergio to fight right after, just to give the people buying tickets thier moneys worth.

[Rantcatrat]

They should have another no name fighter lined up for sergio to fight right after, just to give the people buying tickets thier moneys worth.

it's too soon to jump to conclusions because this is the year of the upset, but after this fight, assuming he wins, Sergio needs to face one of other titleholders at 160, the top guy at 154, Mayweather/Pacquiao etc. or his spot in the rankings should be lowered. barker is a legit top ten guy at 160 though, but there are enough tougher challanges at or around his weight. so, no Lee or Vera fight.

[Matias64]

Maravilla has one problem looming behind him - aging. It means he might have problems in future during the last rounds of 12r fight.

[J_C]

They should have another no name fighter lined up for sergio to fight right after, just to give the people buying tickets thier moneys worth.

it's too soon to jump to conclusions because this is the year of the upset, but after this fight, assuming he wins, Sergio needs to face one of other titleholders at 160, the top guy at 154, Mayweather/Pacquiao etc. or his spot in the rankings should be lowered. barker is a legit top ten guy at 160 though, but there are enough tougher challanges at or around his weight. so, no Lee or Vera fight.

Its gona be Matthew Macklin next for Martinez. That is a totally legit fight. Macklin beat Sturm in most peoples book (and certainly mine).

[skel1983]

ive seen barkers last 10ish fights and he has struggled in 1 against a french fella although I hear he was ill going into the fight, he dominated the start and then clearly felt the pace

all the others he has won quite easily, his last fight against spada was comfortable and there was very little danger of him losing

so he is a good fighter and much better than British domestic / european level

The worry is he lacks power to put Martinez under any pressure and he hasnt got any experience in these types of mega fights

if i was to put just one bet on, I'd say a Barker KO victory in 5

Sorry mate but what evidence have you of this? He has never fought anyone in the top 20 at Middleweight so to say he is much better than European Level is a bit early to say.

[CutMeMick]

If Barker exchanges he gets TKO'd later rounds...

I think he starts off moving and looking for angles early on. Wins some rounds along the way but eventually I think he gets stopped.

[Mars_ax]

I'm also getting excited about this fight. I believe Darren Barker is being underrated in this fight. I still wonder if Barker really has the experience to face Martinez, but Barker will be the first true middleweight contender that Martinez has faced since Pavlik and he looks like a strong middleweight. Did anyone catch his fight with Conroy McIntosh? The fight isn't readily available on youtube although I read on boxrec that Barker was put down twice in that fight. It had me wondering that if Barker was put down by a journeyman scouser, he won't last with Martinez, but I'm not 100% on it.

It's hard not to think of Barker as anything but Martinez' next victim based on his lack of top opposition and/or lack of any experience at the world class level. Barker's resume is the who's who of fighters nobody has ever heard of outside the UK, so I don't agree that he's being underated.

Martinez is on a roll, he's been in with the best, and he has the power to put Barker's lights out. I'll say Barker survives a couple of knockdowns and makes it into one of the later rounds, before being brutally KTFO somewhere around the 8th or 9th round.

[Rantcatrat]

I'm also getting excited about this fight. I believe Darren Barker is being underrated in this fight. I still wonder if Barker really has the experience to face Martinez, but Barker will be the first true middleweight contender that Martinez has faced since Pavlik and he looks like a strong middleweight. Did anyone catch his fight with Conroy McIntosh? The fight isn't readily available on youtube although I read on boxrec that Barker was put down twice in that fight. It had me wondering that if Barker was put down by a journeyman scouser, he won't last with Martinez, but I'm not 100% on it.

It's hard not to think of Barker as anything but Martinez' next victim based on his lack of top opposition and/or lack of any experience at the world class level. Barker's resume is the who's who of fighters nobody has ever heard of outside the UK, so I don't agree that he's being underated.

Martinez is on a roll, he's been in with the best, and he has the power to put Barker's lights out. I'll say Barker survives a couple of knockdowns and makes it into one of the later rounds, before being brutally KTFO somewhere around the 8th or 9th round.

Everything you said is correct. My only thing would be to go check out some Barker fights on youtube. The Spada one in particular. Barker has a little bit of slickness to him and he is somewhat versatile. I've seen him go into the philly shell and also the earmuffs defense. This is a different fight than Dzinziruk/Pavlik/Williams who are all offensive fighters who don't move laterally. I actually believe it is good for Sergio's development to an extent.

[Galaxy]

Martinez by late rd ko

[Mars_ax]

Hey, this got a sticky, thanks Mick!

Updating to fight thread:

Darren Barker is a Brit fighter with a nice record, ( 23 - 0 (KO 14) but against home grown opposition in the UK, it figures to be an easy night for Sergio, but we shall see. The card should start with Vera vs. Lee @ 10:00 PM EST, tonight here in North America. That means the fights won't be shown (on sky?) until 3:00 or 4:00 AM in the UK/Europe sunday morning, sorry mates.

October 1
At Atlantic City, N.J. (HBO): Sergio Martinez vs. Darren Barker, 12 rounds, for Martinez's Ring magazine middleweight title; Brian Vera vs. Andy Lee, rematch, 10 rounds, middleweights.

This figures to be a quality night of boxing for us fans tonight, let's get ready to rumble!

[Diane]

I say Sergio takes him out in the 8th or 9th round.

Here are some pics from the weigh-in.

I'm actually anxiously awaiting for my next issue of my ESPN magazine. It's their annual Body Issue, and they have 20 athletes that will appear naked or barely-clothed (with private parts strategically covered) in the “Bodies We Want” section, and Sergio is one of them.