Checking in from his rigorous training camp, Darren Barker says he is “in a happy place” ahead of his upcoming title shot against Sergio Martinez. Barker is ready to swap the peace and tranquillity of his Lake Ontario training camp for the hustle and bustle of New York City, but the Londoner says his training camp has been the perfect preparation for the biggest fight of his career against Sergio Martinez on October 1 in Atlantic City.
The 29-year-old unbeaten European Champion is confident that he can shock the world when he faces the world’s premier middleweight, and says that his preparations have been perfect for the showdown, live on HBO in the U.S,. and Sky Sports in the U.K.
“It’s a really nice place and that matters a lot,” said Barker. “If I was somewhere boring with nothing to do in my downtime, I’d probably go nuts, but this is a lovely part of the world, I can see Niagara Falls from the base, it’s just perfect – a perfect place for a perfect fight night. It’s been a very happy camp for all of us – Tony (Sims, trainer) and my brother Lee have been fantastic and I could not be in a better place going into the fight.
“The training is going to plan brilliantly, I’ve never trained harder for a fight, but then again, I have to train that hard because it’s Sergio Martinez, one of the best in the business. I’d be selling myself short if I didn’t put an extra 20 percent in every day.”
The 23-0 fighter also acknowledged that he is a major underdog in the fight, but made it clear that he is not in the States just to make up the numbers.
“My fans are coming over to see me win, not see me try,” said Barker. “I am a real threat to Sergio, I won’t be happy with just a good showing. I am here to win and that’s why I’m working double hard.”
On Saturday, October 1st, DiBella Entertainment (DBE) will present “Noche de ‘Maravilla’: Martinez vs. Barker” featuring Middleweight Champion Sergio Martinez (47-2-2, 26KO’s) defending his WBC Diamond belt and Ring Championship against England’s undefeated European Champion “Dazzling” Darren Barker (23-0, 14KO’s), at Boardwalk Hall, in Atlantic City, NJ.
Opening up HBO’s World Championship Boxing® telecast will be the rematch between top-rated middleweight contender “Irish” Andy Lee (26-1, 19KO’s) and former participant of “The Contender”, and the only man to defeat Lee as a pro, Brian Vera (19-5, 12KO’s), in a 10-round middleweight matchup.
