Dan Rafael of espn.com is reporting that world Middleweight champion Sergio Martinez will defend his title against Darren Barker of England on October 1st in either Atlantic City or Dallas.
The report indicated how social media played a big role in making this fight as Martinez’ promoter Lou DiBella and Barker’s promoter Eddie Hearn began fight conversations via Twitter.
“I’ve known Eddie since he was 11. Easy to make the deal,” DiBella said. “They’ve been wanting the fight and Sergio is willing to fight anyone. Barker has been calling out Sergio and he’s a pleasing TV fighter. He’ll come at Sergio and I think it will be an exciting fight, and there will be a lot of international interest, especially in the U.K. Barker’s never been beaten and he’s popular in England. He’ll have more people travel to the U.S. for this fight than travel here for (British world titleholders) Carl Froch or Amir Khan fights.”
“This is the fight we are doing,” DiBella said. “We met with HBO, they know our intention and our meetings have been positive. They know the situation. They are well aware that the fight has been offered to many top opponents. I believe we will have a deal with HBO completed this week.
“Out of the guys who are available, this is a guy who wants to fight Sergio,” DiBella said.
“Sergio would have fought any of them, but people are turning him down left and right, but Barker is a guy who wanted this fight,” DiBella said.
“One thing you can’t take away from Barker is he has the courage to face the best,” Martinez said. “He has the courage to face the best more than Cotto or Chavez. He has more courage than them. I am fighting an undefeated fighter. As I have always said, I am ready for anyone. Nobody else took a step forward to make this fight, but Barker did. I am very disappointed in Cotto. He has no balls to face me.”
“I believe that he was the best available contender,” Sampson Lewkowicz, Martinez’s adviser, told ESPN.com while at dinner with DiBella and Martinez on Monday night. “Cotto refuses to fight, Chavez Jr. is missing in action. Cotto doesn’t want any part of Martinez. Barker is qualified. He is the European champion, he is undefeated and hungry for the glory. There is nothing better than that — to be so hungry for the glory.”
“I don’t believe we’re getting the winner of Chavez versus whoever, but Sampson exacted a promise from the WBC and we’ll find out if they will honor the promise,” DiBella said. “I don’t think they will.”
DiBella said he is close to finalizing the HBO co-feature, which would pit Fort Worth middleweight Brian Vera (18-5, 11 KOs), a former participant on “The Contender,” against Ireland’s Lee in a rematch.
Martinez is the number one rated Middleweight and Barker is ranked sixth by the 15rounds.com rankings
