Darren Barker RETIRES!

Breaking news......

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/boxing/25744071

no details as yet, guessing injury related.

thoughts?

He done well can be proud. Not every fighter becomes an ATG but like footballers when they retire they want to be able to look back and say they won this and that. Barker can look back and say he got his shot, took it and fought in big shows.

Good luck to him.

Seems like a really nice guy, feel bad that he got it totally wrong in his last fight and goes out on that performance. He's been through some pretty big fights and shipped a fair bit of heat, so guess Father Time just caught up with him as he was never the most elusive fighter.

Hope sky now use him regularly and possibly to replace Jim Watt, he'd make a pretty decent commentator.

Best of luck to the guy though

Agree.

Think he can be proud of what he achieved. Legitimately beat a world title holder for his belt, putting in a great performance.

Just a pity the way he went out, dislocated hip taking the title from him versus a putz like Sturm.

Credit to British boxing for me. Was always a gentleman outside the ring; knows his stuff about boxing and came across as someone who was just always appreciative of being able to go out there and do what he did. Even through the injuries he never became bitter about missing out on top fights & world title shots...he just went back to the drawing board and worked harder. Eventually it all paid off and he won a version of the World title.

Perhaps it wasn't 'The Title' and some will always discredit it as just another Mickey Mouse belt but for someone like Barker it was the be end and end all of what he worked his entire career for. Got a nice pay day in his final fight, the silver lining to what was ultimately a disappointing night.

Best wishes in everything he does; I'd imagine he will become a focal point of the punditry team come fight night on Skysports from here on out!

One of the sport's nice guys. Sad to see his final fight end like that but with a genuine injury as a reason for it one hopes he won't be tempted to return to the ring like other fighters who didn't want to be remembered for being spark out or knocked silly.

Wish him all the best...shame he couldn't have faced Macklin and Murray and it's too bad that Andy Lee is likely to get elevated in Barker's place without, IMO, being as good.

Barker wasn't fit going in to that Sturm fight for me, but went ahead anyway for the pay day. Wish him all the best as he's had nothing but trouble in his career due to his body constantly letting him down.

He got £1m (less fees) for the Sturm fight, right?

If so, and if he can get a little bit of here and there work from Sky or similar, then that should be enough for him to provide for his family for a long while yet, if he's sensible.

I thought he retired right after the fight.

He certainly hurt his hip badly versus Strum but there is no way it was dislocated.

He fulfilled his potential and that is all that can be asked. He was a good pro and did very well to keep going given his hip problems. I'd like to hear more about his training methods.

Yeah toppy, he got a career high pay day for that fight I believe and as you say, a bit of work here and there for Sky he should be able to live comfortably.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/othersports/boxing/10574061/Former-British-European-Commonwealth-and-World-middleweight-champion-Darren-Barker-forced-to-retire.html

Well done Darren Barker. Will always be a former World Champ. He made a good lump of cash and retired with faculties intact. Seems like a really nice bloke, too. Wish him all the best.

His career was finished pretty much even before he got in the ring to face Sturm once that injury started playing up in prefight training the writing was on the wall. Think thats why he went out swinging in the first round to try and end it quick as he could as he was never gonna hold up more than a round or two. Barker is a nice fella and a credit to the sport so i am glad he managed to leave it with a good payday.

Supplied one of my personal highlights of the boxing year, so good luck in his future endeavours, gald he got out unscathed!

Can only echo the general good vibes. Always rated Barker and think but for his injury issues he could have been a force. Very sound fundamentals and on the rare occasions he was confident in his fitness had a bit of power. However none of that diminishes what he achieved, his fight against Geale was a belter and he deserved the win in that one.

Think this is the right decision though, with his injury record carrying on would seem foolhardy. Hope Sky find him a place on their commentary team as has always come across as intelligent and articulate when I have seen him and so would be a welcome addition.

i once sneaked into the ringside seats watching brook vs hatton, and found myself stood next to barker. i was extremely drunk and was probably talking utter nonsense to him, but he shook my hand and talked to me through the entire fight, complete gent, im sure if it was anyone else i was annoying id have been removed from the arena.

not many people can say they came of the floor to win a genune world title, so barker can retire happy. he seems very intelligent and knowledgable so hopefully sky take him on as a pundit.

shame we never saw him fight murray but at least he has fought at the highest level

Credit to the sport. He should enjoy his retirement. I expect to see him working ringside for the TV companies fairly soon, after he's had a well-earned break.   

Nice guy but he didn't injure himself in the fight against Sturm, it was gone before he got in the ring and he knew it. I don't blame him for going in there and looking/hoping for the EKO what with the pay-day and all but I do feel sorry for the fans he duped in the process who spent money travelling to support him.

Not many can say they were British, European, Commonwealth and world champion, he's achieved more than his body was willing to let him. A credit to British sport, enjoy retirement Dazza.

Shame that Barker's gone out with yet another injury. 

He's a good guy and I enjoyed watching him fight. 

He become a world champion. And his only two defeats came to the best middleweight in the world and a former 3 time middleweight champion. So no shame in either defeat.

Now barker has retired he's a genuine world champion......even though Martinez and GGG are at the same weight.....

yet all I heard was Broner is a paper champion while he was unbeaten......

Respect to Barker he fulfilled his potential and one can only hope he keeps his bucks and has a good future..

Always like Over-achievers.....and he was one...

But genuine World champion.........No... Not while his executioner was still champ at the weight!!........Paper champion .....Yes.....

But nice guy and hope all goes well..........

He won a genuine version of a World Title Truss.

I get the fact there are to many champions and watered down titles etc...but that being said sometimes I wonder whether we would be better off having just 'one' belt...which many seem to think is the solution to all the problems.

For a start, given they get to make 1 voluntary defence every now and then could you imagine some of the fights we would see? It would also mean that people would be hanging around for ages to fight 'the champion'...

For instance...assume Martinez was the sole middleweight champion...defended his title twice against Chavez then Murray...gets injured...GGG, Sturm, Quillin all wait around for a shot...none of them fighting any kind of threat for fear of losing and therefore surrendering a title shot...

Martinez decides to retire...the belt becomes vacant. GGG fights Sturm for it? Are either of them truly the champion given they didn't ever get a chance to fight Martinez?!

I'm in agreement that the amount of belts we have now is far too many....but I don't for a second believe that only one person in the whole world is worthy of being called a champion because for whatever reason someone may never get a shot at them.

3 main belts at a push 4 isn't a bad thing. The onus is then on the fighters/promoter & sanctioning body to get the title holders fighting each other to prove who is the 'Undisputed Champion'.

Much of what you say is true......But it doesn't help his argument when Martinez is champion with him....

But I'm being pedantic I guess and why should he care what a stupid old Yank thinks....

Like I said good luck to him......He overachieved and I admire overachievers..

Nice guy by all accounts but his career was a bit of a disappointment with all the injuries and never getting those good domestic fights made.

Hard to say if he over/underacheived. I dont rate his world title win as a real world title. In reality he won a close fight against maybe the 4th best middleweight in the world at the time and did ok in his proper world title match but nothing spectacular. So he reached up to become maybe the 4th best middleweight in the world and a title challenger for a brief time which for me is probably about right given his potential and injury trouble.