Iran “The Blade” Barkley
VEGAS HILTON CARD HAD BIG NAMES
San Francisco, CA– It was June 1988, we, and when I say we, I mean the boxing media, descended upon Las Vegas for Tommy “Hitman” Hearns‘ defense of the WBC middleweight (160 lb.) title against Iran “The Blade” Barkley. Jack Fiske, Pat Putnam, Wally Matthews, Mike Marley, the allure of Hearns brought out all the “big time” fight writers. Mike Katz, Royce Feour, Bernard Fernandez, Chris Thorne, Earl Gutskey, I can go on but the press was in da’ house.
HEARNS WAS AN OFFENSIVE MASTER
With two-round KOs of Pipino Cuevas in 1980, Roberto Duran in 1984, I think the first Hearns-Ray Leonard (1981) fight would have possibly had a different outcome if Tommy went out and tried to whack and not attempt to “out box” Ray Leonard. Instead of being the “Hitman,” Tommy was building up points until he got cracked with a punch in the rib cage around round six that hurt him. Although neither Emanuel Steward or Tommy Hearns had ever copped to a cracked rib, that was the point when Ray first took “the play” away from Hearns in the fight.
BODY SHOTS THAT I FELT 8 ROWS AWAY!
I’m sure you know the story, Hearns would resume control, Leonard’s eye was all but closed, Angelo Dundee screams, “You’re blowing it son.” Ray gets pumped up, goes out and stops Hearns in round 14. Back to the subject really at at hand, the June 1988 fight at the Las Vegas Hilton was on HBO. Let me put the Hearns and Barkley fight into perspective for you. The beating Hearns put on Iran had him reacting, especially to the body shots, out loud! Tommy was planting his feet in the canvas and went on a nuclear offensive.
ONE RIGHT HAND COUNTER & “NIGHT-NIGHT”
Look, Iran was a guy that feared by some, avoided by many, but when Barkley landed a right hand in the third round on Tommy’s chin it took the fight out of him. Down he went and for all intents and purposes, Tommy Hearns, as he was in the Marvin Hagler fight, looked like he had fallen out of an airplane and survived! It was at that post fight press conference after I introduced myself to the new champion he told me this. “Although my name is Iran, I never did.”
DURAN DECISION OVER IRAN “WAS OFF” SAID “TOP CAT”
Michael Trainer, Atty. at law and the man who set Ray Leonard up financially told me after the February 1989 fight between Barkley and Roberto, a Split Decision 12 (118-112 & 116-112 Duran, Barkley 116-112) in “Sin City East” aka Atlantic City, NJ, Trainer’s name in the Leonard camp was “Top Cat,” he told me. “They gave it to him (Duran). Barkley won more rounds.”
HEARNS & “I NEVER RAN” CLASH AGAIN!
Tommy Hearns would snag the WBA 175 lb. laurels by upsetting Virgil Hill at the Inglewood Forum in June 1991. The following March, on a cold Las Vegas night, Barkley and Hearns had a rematch with Iran getting a Split Decision 12 (115-113-114-113 Barkley, 114-113 Hearns). Iran had Tommy’s number and if I were Hearns, I would have never fought “The Blade” again. Before beating Hearns again, Iran would triumph at 168 with his destruction of champion Darrin Van Horn (there’s a guy with a story whose father was an admitted pimp) but not James Toney at another juncture of Toney’s career. He fought anybody put in front of him, that was Iran.
HISTORIANS DON’T GIVE IRAN MUCH CREDIT!
Barkley is an underrated fight historically as he beat Hall of Famer Tommy Hearns, once brutally, the other convincing win went 12 rounds. Outside of being dropped by a four-punch Roberto Duran salvo, I don’t remember Iran ever being down. The “biggest” middleweight I’ve ever seen, Iran is a guy that probably merits induction to the International Boxing Hall of Fame. He once knocked out ex-WBA heavyweight titleholder Gerrie Coetzee, that in 1997. Today, because of bad investments, like a car wash in Harlem, Barkley has no real money. The fact that he beat Tommy twice should allow this puncher in the IBHOF as he won legit titles at 160, 168 & 175! Iran Barkley is on Facebook.com
Pedro Fernandez