Barker bumps to 18-0

Edmonton Sun16th August, 2008

By MURRAY GREIG, Edmonton Sun

Darren Barker's precision punching spoke volumes about his potential, while Larry Sharpe's undoing was to find himself articulate in such a dangerous language.

Barker, the undefeated British Commonwealth middleweight champion, improved to 18-0 with an entertaining unanimous decision over a game but out-gunned Sharpe in the 10-round main event of last night's seven-bout international boxing card at the River Cree Resort & Casino.

"He's a much better boxer than me ... I just couldn't cope with his movement and his hand speed," said Sharpe, the pride of Pine Falls, Man., who dropped to 22-5. "I tried to cut off the ring and make him come straight in on me, but he's smart. He slides very well to the side and punches hard with both hands. He'll go far."

Barker described his effort as "workmanlike" - and had high praise for Sharpe.

"He was the perfect guy for me to fight in my North American debut," said Barker. "Larry was very tough, very awkward, so I was actually quite pleased we went the distance. I learned a ton of things tonight that will stand me in good stead as I move up the ladder."

Barker's main weapon - a sharp, jolting jab - kept Sharpe off balance almost from the opening bell.

He won eight of the 10 rounds on two scorecards and seven on the other. The Sun scored it 9-1.

"On a scale of one to 10, I'd say this was about an 8.5," said Tony Simms, Barker's trainer. "We wanted to get rounds in the bank and we wanted to see how we'd fare against a tough, awkward southpaw, and Sharpe fit the bill exactly. Darren didn't miss many punches, and he came out ahead every time they mixed it up inside.

"All in all, it was a just what we were looking for."