By James Slater – Bronx warrior Iran “The Blade” Barkley has a special place in the hearts of fight fans. The man who captured world titles at middleweight, super-middleweight and light-heavyweight fought so many great fights against great opponents, it’s a crying shame he is now all-but broke and without the credit he so richly deserves.
Barkley – who fought fistic standouts such as Thomas Hearns, Roberto Duran, Michael Nunn, Sumbu Kalambay and Nigel Benn – should today be safely enshrined in the Hall Of Fame, yet he is not. The former three-weight king should also be a wealthy man today, yet he is not.
But despite all the bad luck Barkley has endured along with the good, he remains a fan-favourite as well as a man who is always happy to talk with a boxing reporter/website.
Today, I had the pleasure of speaking with “The Blade” on a varying number of subjects.
Here is what the 50-year-old great had to say:
James Slater: Thanks so much for taking the time to speak with me, Iran! It’s just over 19 years to the day when you smashed Darrin Van Horn to win your second world title (Jan. 1992). What are your memories of that fight?
Iran Barkley: You know, I was fast and I was quick in that fight. My attitude was, just get rid of him!
J.S: And you did it in style. Some so called experts had him the favourite to beat you. Did you always know you’d destroy him so quickly?
I.B: Well, I knew I’d beat him, but I never knew I’d KO him so quick. It was my night that night.
J.S: And then in your next fight that March, you beat the great Tommy Hearns for a second time, on points. What are your memories of that fight?
I.B: I knew that fight would be real tough. But at the same time, I knew Tommy’s legs weren’t there; that they weren’t strong enough. It wasn’t an easy fight, but I showed everybody I could do it – that it wasn’t no fluke the first time (1988). Everybody said that [the win in ’88] was just a one-punch thing, but I showed ’em it was no fluke.
J.S: You seemed to just have Hearns’ number, Iran. Do you think that you’d have beat him had you fought him, say, five times?
I.B: I tell you, I watched just one fight going into the first fight with Tommy – the Marvin Hagler fight. I watched that and I thought, ‘that’s the way to beat him.’ He was a good boxer, but I knew I had to forget about the boxing and that’s how I beat him.
J.S: Did Tommy hit you harder than anyone else?
I.B: Tommy was the hardest puncher I ever fought, yes.
J.S: I think, and a lot of fans think, you should be in The Hall Of Fame, Iran. Have you ever thought about that, that you should be enshrined at Canastota?
I.B: I figure I’ll be in this year. I think maybe they’ll call me and I’ll get my dues this year. But Ed Brophy, he’s full of shit! Every year, they put in who they wanna put in. But I tell you, they will have to pay me what’s right to put me in, to have me come down there and all. I want at least $10,000, after all the time they’ve made me wait. Otherwise they can mail me my fucking ring!
J.S: You should be in, there’s no doubt. A three-time world champ at different weights, who twice beat Hearns!
I.B: Nobody beat Tommy like I did! Even Hagler only beat him once, and Sugar Ray, he only beat him once. I belong [in The Hall], I never got the credit I should have got for beating Hearns twice like I did.
J.S: I read recently that you were homeless and that lots of bad things were going down. Are you okay now, Champ?
I.B: Well, I’m still not where I wanna be. I’m not making no money. I had some good people who were trying to help me and all, but I’m not where I want to be.
J.S: Have you a job now?
I.B: A job? No.
J.S: With all the knowledge you have in boxing – having done it all – why can’t you become a trainer? You’d be great at it!
I.B: Yeah, I’ve got knowledge and all that, but these guys don’t ask me to train them. And I don’t ask. Another thing is, if these guys don’t train like I did, I’m not interested. I won’t baby any fighter. They’ve gotta be ready, they’ve gotta want it. I say, they either train like I did or forget it. I’d have to treat ’em like my trainer taught me – to be a man and look out for yourself.
J.S: What do you think of today’s best fighters at 160, 168?
I.B: These guys today, they’re bums! Today, their managers look after them too much; they’re all faggots. There ain’t no fighters like there used to be, man.
J.S: You feel that if you’d been around today you’d beat the likes of Andre Ward, Andre Dirrell and Carl Froch?
I.B: They’d have been done!
J.S: Off all the great fights you had, all the great wins, which one fight do you treasure the most?
I.B: The Duran fight. I treasure that one the most. I know he beat me, but I know I beat him. They took that win away from me, but it was a great fight and I treasure the memory of that one.
J.S: Iran, have you still got the three world title belts you won?
I.B: Well, I got one of ’em. I got the main one, the WBC middleweight belt. But I might have to get rid of that one one day, the way things are going……
J.S: No way! You Can’t part with that and let someone else get it – you earned that in the ring; you bled for it!
I.B: I’ve gotta do what I’ve gotta do. I don’t want to let it go easy, it stays with me. But the way things are [financially]…. I never even got the [WBA] belt when I beat Tommy the second time. They never sent it to me and I never collected it in the ring because I went to the hospital that night.
J.S: Wow, I never knew that.
I.B: It don’t matter though. I’m doing things now – I’m writing a book and I want to get a movie made. I’m away from boxing.
J.S: The book is your life story though?
I.B: Yeah, I’m finishing it off now, and looking to send it to the right people.
J.S: Your autobiography, I’d buy it five times, Iran!
I.B: Thanks, man.
J.S: It’s been a real pleasure speaking with you, Iran. You have so many fans on Eastside Boxing!
I.B: All right, thanks a lot.