Barker "Macklin's not in my league"

Boxrec.com Ben Carey5th August, 2010

European middleweight champion Darren Barker believes Matthew Macklin will serve as a 'springboard' to launch him into world title contention when they clash at Birmingham's LG Arena on 18 September. The meeting between Britain's premier 11st 6 operators is likely to be the highlight of promoter Frank Warren's bumper 'Magnificent Seven' bill and unsurprisingly both men are confident of victory.

Local favourite Macklin landed the first psychological blow by vowing to "blow Barker away" after claiming that his domestic rival is "not on my level" at a recent press conference. Macklin's belief, that what appears to be a 50-50 fight could prove to be one-sided, is a view which Barker shares himself, the exception being that the unbeaten Barnet man feels the outcome will go firmly in his favour.

"I don't wish to resort to trash talking like the WWF, this fight is too good for that, but I think Matthew's one-dimensional and I'm supremely confident of beating him. I know he can box as you don't reach his level by simply being a roughhouse but in terms of his all-round ringcraft, boxing ability and handspeed he's just not in my league. I also feel my power is underestimated and I'll definitely get the better of him," said Barker to BoxRec News.

The pair were on course to share a ring last year. Then British champion Macklin pulled out of a domestic title defence against Barker in favour of pursuing the vacant European middleweight title which the Birmingham man duly won with an emphatic first-round knockout over Amin Asikainen last September.

Barker went on to capture the vacant British crown relinquished by Macklin, halting Bristol's Danny Butler two months later. Macklin subsequently vacated his European crown before he could make a single defence after he was sidelined with a hand injury sustained during his non-title points victory over Rafael Sosa Pintos in December. This opened the door for Barker to grab the vacant EBU middleweight title after a hard-fought unanimous decision over France's uncompromising Affif Belghecham in April.

"Matthew keeps saying that he hopes I turn up on 18 September which I find slightly hypocritical because I've been wanting this fight for two years now. I totally understood his reasons for pulling out last time to fight for the European title and I really respect him for facing me now because he didn't have to. I heard he was in line to box an IBF world title eliminator, so it's to his credit that he has agreed to fight me. Macklin's a great fighter," acknowledged Barker.

"I think the fact that the fight is happening now will actually suit me better though. We're both 28, but Macklin's an old 28. He's been in tough fights, and although some may see that as being an advantage for him in terms of experience I feel it will work against him. I'm the younger, fresher and more ambitious fighter and this will be evident on the night because I don't believe that it's possible for him to want this more than me."

"People seem to think that because I'm a classy boxer I won't be able to handle the pressure if the fight goes into the trenches but mark my words, I've got the heart of a lion and I'll come through any difficult rounds and beat Macklin no matter what type of fight it is. My last fight against Belghecham was probably the worst performance of my career. It came at short notice and my preparation wasn't ideal, but even on a bad night I still managed to win unlike Macklin when he lost to Andrew Facey and Jamie Moore. If Macklin wants to judge me on my last fight he's going to be in for a shock," Barker continued.

Whilst being at similar stages in their careers, the former amateur stars (who have never fought or sparred together) have chosen different routes in an effort to reach the upper echelons of the middleweight division. Macklin has made a series of promotional and trainer changes since turning pro in 2001 but believes his latest switch, to trainer Freddie Roach's Wildcard gym in Los Angeles, will provide him with the edge over his rivals.

"I spent some time training at the Wildcard at the start of my career and its always been on my mind to go back there at some point. When you see the improvements that Freddie has made with fighters like Manny Pacquiao and Amir Khan it shows you just how good a trainer he is. The next few years in my career are going to be massive and to have Freddie in my corner will be a huge bonus," commented Macklin back in February after surprisingly parting ways with Manchester-based trainer Joe Gallagher who led him to his career-best wins over Wayne Elcock and the aforementioned Asikainen.

In contrast, Barker has remained loyal to the unsung Tony Sims who has guided the former Repton amateur to 22 straight victories during his six-year pro career from his base at the Hainault gym.

"Tony Sims is one of the most underrated trainers in the world and I only need to travel half an hour to see him instead of having to go half way around the world," said Barker in direct reference to Macklin's forays to LA.

"I'm very close to Tony and he's a brilliant trainer who never stops teaching me things. He also drafts in some quality Russian sparring partners for me so I don't ever have to go far to get my nose broken," quipped Barker, who has set up a training camp in Tenerife alongside Sims to prepare for the biggest fight of his career.

Macklin vs Barker could well prove to be Britain's most memorable middleweight showdown since Chris Eubank defeated Nigel Benn in nine brutal rounds for the WBO middleweight crown in November 1990. Ironically, this fight will take place in the same arena (it was recently re-branded to the LG Arena from the NEC) where Benn and Eubank commenced their famous rivalry 20 years ago.

"This fight is going to be unbelievable and I can hardly wait. It has been generating so much publicity and I've been getting repeatedly stopped in the street by members of the public asking me about Macklin which has been unbelievable," said a clearly excited Barker.

"Macklin might be from Birmingham and have more support than me but I've shifted 4,000 tickets and on the night all the noise is going to be coming from my fans in Barnet and London," he added.