Daniel Geale’s US debut will be against Londoner ‘Dazzling’ Darren Barker, a fighter similar to the Tassie tyro, as he maps out a path to Sergio Martinez.
With the on-off-on-off bout with fellow Aussie Sam Soliman seemingly sidelined for now, as Soliman’s drugs dispute with the IBF and the Felix Sturm camp continues, Geale will return to the ring on August 17 at Turning Stone Resort and Casino in New York.
The fight will be Geale’s first since defeating Anthony Mundine in January and his first on American soil.
Barker is a 31-year-old from Barnet with a 25 win (16 KOs), one loss record. His only defeat came by Martinez, back in 2011, when the Argentine knocked him out in the 11th round.
Up until that point, Barker gave a good showing against the number one middleweight in the world.
Geale is number two on that list, with Barker number 11 according to BoxRec. Barker has never claimed a world title but he will prove a formidable opponent. He is known for his bravery and mental strength.
A year younger than Geale there is not a lot of difference between the two fighters.
Both were stars on the amateur circuit, with Geale claiming a gold medal at the 2002 Commonwealth Games at welterweight and Barker also winning gold at light welterweight in Manchester.
Both turned pro in 2004 and have only one loss.
The Pom is slightly taller at 184cm than the Tasmanian at 178cm, and is hungry for another shot at a world title.
Barker has faced his fair share of adversity in recent times. He comes from a boxing family and tragically his brother Gary, also a promising fighter, died in a car accident in 2006. Barker took a year off but returned to the ring in 2007.
Injury has also stymied his career repeatedly at times, with a fight against fellow Brit Matthew Macklin called off in 2010 because of a hip problem, and he was the brutally attacked by a gang of men while trying to break up a street fight..
A comeback bout against Simone Rotolo also had to be rescheduled in 2012 after he damaged tendons in his arm.
For now he appears over his injury issues and surely will not let this opportunity against Geale pass him by.
Geale, the quiet, ever polite pugilist will professionally go about his business as always. Martinez is the opponent that the Camden-based boxer wants, but an impressive display against a former Martinez victim on US soil will go a long way to achieving that.
“Barker is a smart fighter with good footwork,” Geale told me.
“He will be tricky because he is a thinking fighter and can adapt. Martinez is still regarded by most as the number one middleweight so he is the guy I want eventually, but I never look past my next opponent.”
Geale wants the big fights in the US and this is the start of that journey.
In year of Australia-England battles with two Ashes series, the Lions tour down under and the rugby league World Cup in the UK, this should be another brilliant but bruising Anglo-Antipodean battle.
Follow John Davidson on Twitter at @johnnyddavidson
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