Ring Observer Boxing by Scoop Malinowski
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By Scoop Malinowski
Iran “The Blade” Barkley defeated Hall of Famer Thomas Hearns not once but twice. In this interview, Barkley discusses in detail the experiences of conquering the Hitman. Scoop: Which fights in your career do you feel you were at your very best?
Iran Barkley: “All of them. I must say all of them. From when I was coming up, I was at my best in all of ’em. I put my heart all the way into it. All the way until the end. ”
Scoop: Your fights with Thomas Hearns were amazing. He’s an all-time great, you were the decided underdog, but you bested him not once but twice. What do you remember from those fights?
Iran Barkley: “I remember the first time everybody was saying that he was gonna beat me. I knew he was a good fighter and everything. But that didn’t matter, I was determined. I knew that I was gonna beat him. And I knew how I was gonna beat him. And the only way was to beat him impressive. I knew I had to make a statement. ”
Scoop What was your gameplan? Why did you know you could beat him, I mean, that was Thomas “The Hitman” Hearns. ”
Iran Barkley: “Well, true it was Thomas Hearns. But I waited my whole life to do that. I looked to fight all the great ones. My strategy was just to go in there and take him out. ”
Scoop: Was there a moment in that fight when you saw in him that he realized what he was in for? That defeat was inevitable?
Iran Barkley: “Definitely. Like in the second round. When I jumped on him and got serious about doing what I was gonna do, instead of boxing him, after I got all cut up. He knew how hard it was gonna be for him. He knew he was in for a rude awakening. ”
Scoop: Did he praise you after the fight?
Iran Barkley: “Well, you know, Tommy said to me, ‘Good fight. ‘ It wasn’t much that he would say. They’d just carried him out. ”
Scoop: Have you seen him lately?
Iran Barkley: “I’ve seen him once or twice. We speak but he still’s got that driving energy that he still got to beat me [smiles]. ”
Scoop: Would you say Hearns was your toughest opponent?
Iran Barkley: “The toughest I had to fight? I would say Duran was like the toughest. Because I had to stay smart, to be smart to compete with him. You had to always keep your eyes opened with him. You never knew with Duran, he could be so crafty. He wasn’t that powerful a puncher but he was powerful enough to hang in. Most access issues, though, have been tied to site right here funding. ”
Scoop: Was there one fight you really wanted but never got?
Iran Barkley: “I wanted Sugar Ray Leonard in the 80’s and 90’s. But Ray didn’t want to fight me. Ray was like, man, I’m not looking for that kind of fight. Iran, you hit too hard. He told me that at Top Rank Gym. ”
Scoop: Gil Clancy once said about you that he never saw a fighter achieve so much with so little natural talent. What do you think of that comment?
Iran Barkley: “That was a good comment because that’s true [laughs]. I never got all the recognition that I deserved to get for beating everybody. He said that I didn’t have much talent but I do got talent. I even got things that Gil Clancy never knew that I had [laughs]. You know what I’m saying. He can’t really say that because I’ve been trained by the best (Connie Bryant, Davey Vazquez, Bobby Miles). I fought the best. ”
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Barkley defeated Hearns for the WBC Middleweight title by third round KO in what Ring Magazine called the 1988 Upset of the Year. He also beat Hearns in the 1992 rematch by split decision for the WBA Light Heavyweight title. Barkley, who made his pro debut in 1982, had his last pro fight in 1999 – a TKO 6 loss to heavyweight Keith McKnight. His final ring record stands at 43-19-1 (27 KO’s). Today, the 52-year-old Barkley resides in South Bronx, New York. He regularly attends local boxing shows and events and will be featured in a forthcoming film documentary by Bobby Razak called “Fallen Soldier. ” The former three-time world champion – WBC Middleweight, IBF Super Middleweight and WBA Light Heavyweight champion – is a member of the New Jersey Boxing Hall of Fame but he has not yet been inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in Canastota.
