Good effort Darren barker!

[Rantcatrat]

Great effort Barker. Really liked how you did every thing you could to get up after being dropped from a half blocked, open handed punch/slap that would of made Calzaghe proud. Even though you blocked it, it was no doubt still a monster punch

That punch gave him a perferated eardrum I heard. That was probably why he reacted the way he did from the partially blocked punch. I think he put up a good fight. Some people said Martinez could have got around his guard any time and finished the fight but I think he was one dimensional. When the drawing barker in move did not work he should have changed his tacktics. However he did not. I have not seen many of his fights, does he always fight like this or does he have other tactics.

Damage control. I seriously doubt his ear drum is busted

you're acting like Darren Barker didn't give a good account of himself. he came into the fight in some books as a 18-1 underdog and he left the fight with most people thinking he has a good shot against many of the top guys in the division. i agree that martinez dominated, but barker should get at least some credit here.

[Matias64]

you're acting like Darren Barker didn't give a good account of himself. he came into the fight in some books as a 18-1 underdog and he left the fight with most people thinking he has a good shot against many of the top guys in the division. i agree that martinez dominated, but barker should get at least some credit here.

Barker did all well what he can. And that's not much. On the other hand Barker's punishment would have been much more brutal if Martinez could punch sharp uppercuts. Just take a look at the fight couple of times and you'll find tens of chanches for Maravilla to kill Barker by uppercuts. Big minus for Martinez indeed.

[Kev]

I thought Barker did well.

I had it pretty even going into the second half and can agree with him winning three rounds, all of the first 6 or so were close.

You have to give Martinez credit for figuring him out though. He broke him down very well in the second half. Maybe not a spectacular win but he showed he can adapt and still managed to KO a good fighter, with an excellent defense, even whilst he was blocking the punch. And in the 11th round as well, which shows he throws hard punches from the first bell to the last.

I'm still not sold on Martinez as being as good as the very elite guys, he's no match for a 160lb prime Hopkins imo and I think Andre Ward will prove himswlf a better fighter p4p over time, but right now he's clearly the best middleweight in the world, and he's knocking people out. None of Williams, Dzindizruk and Barker had ever been stopped before or ewven close to being stopped and he has legitmately KO'd all three. You can't argue with that.

[Matias64]

Judge:

Lynne Carter 96-94
Victor Loughlin 97-94
Alejandro Rochin Mapula 99-91

Those scorecards are showing that Barker was hardly near to win the fight even before round 10. I gave him only 2 or 3 rounds before R10. It's quite the average of Carter, Loughlin and Mapula, which means "near the truth".

[Kev]

Judge:

Lynne Carter 96-94
Victor Loughlin 97-94
Alejandro Rochin Mapula 99-91

Those scorecards are showing that Barker was hardly near to win the fight even before round 10. I gave him only 2 or 3 rounds before R10. It's quite the average of Carter, Loughlin and Mapula, which means "near the truth".

96-94, and 97-94 show he was acquitting himself very well though.

That corresponds well with how I saw it. I thought it was an even fight after 6, looks like two of the judges agreed.