David Barnes (boxer)
Encyclopedia
David Barnes is a British
professional boxer from Manchester
in England
who competes in the light welterweight
division. He is the former holder of both the British light welterweight and welterweight titles.
in Manchester
he stopped Trevor Smith in the 2nd round of their 4 round match. After compiling an undefeated ledger of 12-0 he was just two years later in July 2003 given the opportunity to fight for the vacant British Welterweight
title against the experienced Jimmy Vincent. Barnes claimed victory with a narrow score of 115-114 from the referee John Keane in what was described by commentators as "an excellent match from start to finish". Barnes early career suffered a hiccup when the boxer was forced to spend six weeks at an army detention centre in Colchester
. Unknown to his promoters and after seven straight victories on Sky the boxer had been absent without leave from the army for a total of 18 months until a passport check by promoter Frank Warren
revealed he had deserted from the army. Speaking of the experience to the Daily Telegraph in January 2003 Barnes said "I hated nearly every minute" having joined up as a restless 15 year old.
outright. He re-entered the ring in December 2003 to defend for the first time against Scotsman Kevin McIntyre
at the MEN Arena in Manchester winning when the fight was stopped after the 8th round. He followed up the win with further defences against Northern Ireland
's Glenn McClarnon and England's James Hare which gave him the Lonsdale belt
for keeps.
before meeting the Glossop
based Namibian
Ali Nuumbembe for the WBO Inter-continental welterweight title. The fight was very close and ended up with the match being declared a draw.
In June 2005 Barnes fought Ghana
's Commonwealth champion Joshua Okine, where he was put down in the 5th round and stopped in the 12th. It was his first career defeat. In choosing to fight Okine, Barnes had not allowed himself enough time to defend his British title and so had to give it up.
. In March 2008 he was given the opportunity to fight for a championship again—the British light welterweight
version. The opponent at the George Carnall Center in Davyhulme
was former European champion Ted Bami
and Barnes ran out a comfortable points winner becoming the first man to have held the British title at welter and light welterweight.
In July 2008 he defended the title for the first time against former champion Barry Morrison
from Scotland again winning on points over 12. Barnes was stripped of the title after he pulled out of a mandatory defence against former champion Colin Lynes
. Barnes did not fight again until 4 December 2009 when he competed in the light welterweight version of the Prizefighter series
and ironically was drawn to face the an he should have defended his British title against, Colin Lynes
in the quarter finals. The fight over 3 rounds resulted in a split decision win for Lynes and handed Barnes only his second defeat.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
professional boxer from Manchester
Manchester
Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...
in England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
who competes in the light welterweight
Light welterweight
-Professional boxing:The light welterweight class is a weight division in professional boxing that has a limit of 63.5 kg or 140 pounds...
division. He is the former holder of both the British light welterweight and welterweight titles.
Early career
Barnes made his professional debut in July 2001 when at the VelodromeVelodrome
A velodrome is an arena for track cycling. Modern velodromes feature steeply banked oval tracks, consisting of two 180-degree circular bends connected by two straights...
in Manchester
Manchester
Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...
he stopped Trevor Smith in the 2nd round of their 4 round match. After compiling an undefeated ledger of 12-0 he was just two years later in July 2003 given the opportunity to fight for the vacant British Welterweight
Welterweight
Welterweight is a weight class division in combat sports. Originally the term "welterweight" was used only in boxing, but other combat sports like kickboxing, taekwondo and mixed martial arts also began to use it for their own weight division system...
title against the experienced Jimmy Vincent. Barnes claimed victory with a narrow score of 115-114 from the referee John Keane in what was described by commentators as "an excellent match from start to finish". Barnes early career suffered a hiccup when the boxer was forced to spend six weeks at an army detention centre in Colchester
Colchester
Colchester is an historic town and the largest settlement within the borough of Colchester in Essex, England.At the time of the census in 2001, it had a population of 104,390. However, the population is rapidly increasing, and has been named as one of Britain's fastest growing towns. As the...
. Unknown to his promoters and after seven straight victories on Sky the boxer had been absent without leave from the army for a total of 18 months until a passport check by promoter Frank Warren
Frank Warren (promoter)
Frank Darren Warren is an English boxing manager and promoter.-Early life and early career:The son of a bookmaker, Warren trained as a solicitor's clerk with J Tickle & Co on Southampton Row in London....
revealed he had deserted from the army. Speaking of the experience to the Daily Telegraph in January 2003 Barnes said "I hated nearly every minute" having joined up as a restless 15 year old.
British Welterweight Champion
Now the full British champion and still relatively inexperienced with a record of 13-0 Barnes set about defending his title and trying to claim the Lonsdale beltLonsdale belt
The Lonsdale Belt was a boxing prize introduced by Hugh Lowther, 5th Earl of Lonsdale, to be awarded to British boxing champions. It is still awarded to British champions today.-National Sporting Club:...
outright. He re-entered the ring in December 2003 to defend for the first time against Scotsman Kevin McIntyre
Kevin McIntyre (boxer)
Kevin McIntyre is a British professional boxer who fights in the welterweight division. he is a former British champion at welterweight.-Early professional career:...
at the MEN Arena in Manchester winning when the fight was stopped after the 8th round. He followed up the win with further defences against Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland is one of the four countries of the United Kingdom. Situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, it shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west...
's Glenn McClarnon and England's James Hare which gave him the Lonsdale belt
Lonsdale belt
The Lonsdale Belt was a boxing prize introduced by Hugh Lowther, 5th Earl of Lonsdale, to be awarded to British boxing champions. It is still awarded to British champions today.-National Sporting Club:...
for keeps.
Losing Ground
Barnes kept busy after the win over Hare with a victory over future European title challenger Juho Tolppola from FinlandFinland
Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...
before meeting the Glossop
Glossop
Glossop is a market town within the Borough of High Peak in Derbyshire, England. It lies on the Glossop Brook, a tributary of the River Etherow, about east of the city of Manchester, west of the city of Sheffield. Glossop is situated near Derbyshire's county borders with Cheshire, Greater...
based Namibian
Namibia
Namibia, officially the Republic of Namibia , is a country in southern Africa whose western border is the Atlantic Ocean. It shares land borders with Angola and Zambia to the north, Botswana to the east and South Africa to the south and east. It gained independence from South Africa on 21 March...
Ali Nuumbembe for the WBO Inter-continental welterweight title. The fight was very close and ended up with the match being declared a draw.
In June 2005 Barnes fought Ghana
Ghana
Ghana , officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country located in West Africa. It is bordered by Côte d'Ivoire to the west, Burkina Faso to the north, Togo to the east, and the Gulf of Guinea to the south...
's Commonwealth champion Joshua Okine, where he was put down in the 5th round and stopped in the 12th. It was his first career defeat. In choosing to fight Okine, Barnes had not allowed himself enough time to defend his British title and so had to give it up.
British Light Welterweight champion
Barnes fought five times over the next two years competing against a host of journeymenJourneyman (boxing)
A journeyman boxer is defined as a fighter who has adequate boxing skill, but does not have the caliber of a contender or gatekeeper. Outside of boxing, a "journeyman" is a trader or crafter who has completed an apprenticeship, but is not at the level of a master craftsman...
. In March 2008 he was given the opportunity to fight for a championship again—the British light welterweight
Light welterweight
-Professional boxing:The light welterweight class is a weight division in professional boxing that has a limit of 63.5 kg or 140 pounds...
version. The opponent at the George Carnall Center in Davyhulme
Davyhulme
Davyhulme is a locality within the Metropolitan Borough of Trafford in Greater Manchester, England. Historically part of Lancashire, it is contiguous with the town of Urmston....
was former European champion Ted Bami
Ted Bami
Ted Bami Minsende is a light-welterweight boxer. Nicknamed "Dangerous", Bami is a former European light welterweight champion and British light welterweight title challenger....
and Barnes ran out a comfortable points winner becoming the first man to have held the British title at welter and light welterweight.
In July 2008 he defended the title for the first time against former champion Barry Morrison
Barry Morrison
Barry Morrison, is a Scottish professional boxer who fights in the light welterweight division.He is a former British light welterweight champion.-Professional career:...
from Scotland again winning on points over 12. Barnes was stripped of the title after he pulled out of a mandatory defence against former champion Colin Lynes
Colin Lynes
Colin Lynes is a British professional boxer from Hornchurch in London. He is a former IBO World, British and European champion at light welterweight and is the reigning British champion at welterweight.-Early Professional Career:...
. Barnes did not fight again until 4 December 2009 when he competed in the light welterweight version of the Prizefighter series
Prizefighter series
The Prizefighter series is a knock out boxing tournament created by boxing promoter Barry Hearn and aired on Sky Sports. The format has an initial eight fighters, who compete in four quarter-finals of 3 x 3 minute rounds followed by two semi-finals and one final all on the same night...
and ironically was drawn to face the an he should have defended his British title against, Colin Lynes
Colin Lynes
Colin Lynes is a British professional boxer from Hornchurch in London. He is a former IBO World, British and European champion at light welterweight and is the reigning British champion at welterweight.-Early Professional Career:...
in the quarter finals. The fight over 3 rounds resulted in a split decision win for Lynes and handed Barnes only his second defeat.