Darren Barker facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Darren Barker
Statistics
Nickname(s)	Dazzling
Rated at	Middleweight
Height	6 ft 0+1/2 in
Reach	73 in
Nationality	British
Born	(1982-05-19) 19 May 1982 (age 43) Chipping Barnet, London, England
Stance	Orthodox
Boxing record
Total fights	28
Wins	26
Wins by KO	16
Losses	2
Medal record Men's amateur boxing Representing  England Commonwealth Games Gold 2002 Manchester Light-welterweight

Darren Barker, born on May 19, 1982, is a British former professional boxer. He competed from 2004 to 2013. Darren won many important titles in the middleweight division. These included the IBF title in 2013. He also held the Commonwealth title from 2007 to 2009. In 2009, he became the British champion. From 2010 to 2011, he was the European champion. Before turning professional, Darren was an amateur boxer. He represented England at the 2002 Commonwealth Games. There, he won a gold medal in the light-welterweight category.

Darren Barker's Early Boxing Days

Darren Barker started boxing when he was young. He trained at the Finchley and District Amateur Boxing club. His coaches there helped him learn the basics. Later, he moved to the Repton Boys Club in Bethnal Green. There, he trained with a famous coach named Tony Burns. Darren's father, Terry, was also a successful amateur boxer. He won a national championship in 1981.

Winning Gold at the Commonwealth Games

In 2002, Darren achieved a big goal. He won a gold medal at the Commonwealth Games in Manchester. This was a huge win for him as an amateur. He also became a Multi-nations Champion. Before he became a professional, Darren had a great amateur record. He won 55 out of 68 fights.

Darren Barker's Professional Boxing Career

Darren Barker began his professional boxing journey on September 24, 2004. His first fight was in Nottingham. He won against Howard Clarke. Later that year, he won another fight in Wembley. This meant he finished his first year as a professional boxer without any losses.

Building His Winning Streak

Throughout 2005, Darren fought five more times and won every match. In 2006, he had seven more fights and kept his winning streak going. One important fight in 2006 was for the Southern Area Middleweight title. He beat Hussein Osman at the Alexandra Palace. Other notable wins that year included fights against Danny Thornton and Paul Samuels.

Sadly, in December 2006, Darren's brother Gary, who was also a boxer, passed away in a car accident. Darren took a break from boxing after this sad news. He returned to the ring on October 5, 2007, winning his fight against Greg Barton.

Becoming Commonwealth Champion

On November 14, 2007, Darren fought for his first major title. This was the vacant Commonwealth Middleweight belt. His opponent, Ben Crampton, had never lost a fight before. Darren won the fight at the York Hall. He became the champion by a unanimous decision after 12 rounds.

He defended his title for the first time against Steve Bendall. Darren won by stopping the fight in the seventh round. In August 2008, he traveled to Canada. He beat Larry Sharpe in a non-title fight. On December 13, 2008, Darren defended his title again. He fought Jason McKay from Northern Ireland. Jason McKay had to stop fighting at the end of round six. Darren's third title defense was on May 23, 2009. He fought Darren McDermott and won in the fourth round.

Winning the British Title

On November 28, 2009, Darren Barker fought Danny Butler. This fight was for the vacant British Middleweight title. It was also his fourth defense of the Commonwealth title. Darren showed his skill, and the referee stopped the fight in round 7. This made Darren the new British Middleweight champion.

Becoming European Champion

On April 9, 2010, Darren won the European title. He beat Affif Belghecham of France by a unanimous points victory. This fight was one of the toughest of his career. Darren now held three championship belts. He decided to give up his Commonwealth title to focus on the British and European belts.

He was set to fight Matthew Macklin in a big match. However, Darren had to pull out of the fight. He had a hip injury that kept coming back. His trainer, Tony Sims, explained that Darren had a hip operation a few months earlier. The injury returned during training, forcing him to withdraw.

Becoming a Two-Time European Champion

On May 1, 2011, Darren Barker won the European middleweight title again. He beat Domenico Spada of Italy after being out of the ring for over a year. The judges scored the fight in his favor after 12 rounds. Darren was very excited to return to boxing after his injury. He also started working with new representatives, Matchroom Sport. He felt this change would help his career.

Challenging for a World Title

On October 1, 2011, Darren Barker faced Sergio Martínez. This was a fight for the WBC Diamond Middleweight title in Atlantic City. Sergio Martínez was one of the top boxers in the world. Darren fought hard, but he lost the fight by knockout in the 11th round. This was Darren's first loss in his professional career.

Making a Comeback

On March 9, 2013, Darren Barker started his comeback. He fought Simone Rotolo for the vacant IBF Inter-Continental Middleweight Title. Darren won the title when Rotolo had to stop fighting in the fourth round due to an injured hand.

Becoming IBF Middleweight World Champion

On August 17, 2013, Darren challenged Daniel Geale for his IBF Middleweight world title. Darren was knocked down in the sixth round. But he fought back bravely. He won his first world title by a split decision. This was a huge achievement for him.

His Final Fight and Retirement

In late 2013, it was announced that Darren would defend his IBF Middleweight Title. He fought Felix Sturm in Germany on December 7, 2013. Felix Sturm knocked Darren down twice in the second round. Darren's corner then stopped the fight. Darren had dislocated his hip during the first knockdown. After this fight, Darren decided to retire from boxing. His recurring hip injury, which he had surgery for years earlier, made it too difficult to continue. He officially announced his retirement in 2014.

Darren Barker's Boxing Record

See also

In Spanish: Darren Barker para niños