David Barnes (boxer)
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David Barnes (born David Smith, 16 January 1981) is a British former
professional boxer Professional boxing, or prizefighting, is regulated, sanctioned boxing. Professional boxing bouts are fought for a purse that is divided between the boxers as determined by contract. Most professional fights are supervised by a regulatory auth ...
who competed from 2001 to 2015. He held the
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welterweight Welterweight is a weight class in combat sports. Originally the term ''welterweight'' was used only in boxing, but other combat sports like muay Thai, taekwondo, and mixed martial arts also use it for their own weight division system to classify th ...
title from 2003 to 2004 and the British
super lightweight Light welterweight, also known as junior welterweight or super lightweight, is a weight class in combat sports. Boxing Professional boxing In professional boxing, light welterweight is contested between the lightweight and welterweight divisions, ...
title in 2008.


Career

Barnes made his professional debut in July 2001 when at the
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he stopped Trevor Smith in the second round of their four-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 is a weight class in combat sports. Originally the term ''welterweight'' was used only in boxing, but other combat sports like muay Thai, taekwondo, and mixed martial arts also use it for their own weight division system to classify th ...
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
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. Unknown to his promoters and after seven straight victories on Sky the boxer had been absent without official 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 ''
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'' in January 2003 Barnes said "I hated nearly every minute" having joined up as a restless 15-year-old. 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 belt The Lord Lonsdale Challenge Belt, commonly known as the Lonsdale Belt, is the oldest championship belt in British professional boxing. Hugh Lowther, 5th Earl of Lonsdale, The 5th Earl of Lonsdale introduced the prize on behalf of the National S ...
outright. He re-entered the ring in December 2003 to defend for the first time against Scotsman Kevin McIntyre at the
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in Manchester winning when the fight was stopped after the eighth round. He followed up the win with further defences against
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's Glenn McClarnon and England's James Hare which gave him the
Lonsdale belt The Lord Lonsdale Challenge Belt, commonly known as the Lonsdale Belt, is the oldest championship belt in British professional boxing. Hugh Lowther, 5th Earl of Lonsdale, The 5th Earl of Lonsdale introduced the prize on behalf of the National S ...
for keeps. Barnes kept busy after the win over Hare with a victory over future European title challenger Juho Tolppola from
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before meeting the
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based
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n 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
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's Commonwealth champion Joshua Okine, where he was put down in the fifth 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. Barnes fought five times over the next two years competing against a host of
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. In March 2008 he was given the opportunity to fight for a championship again—the British
light welterweight Light welterweight, also known as junior welterweight or super lightweight, is a weight class in combat sports. Boxing Professional boxing In professional boxing, light welterweight is contested between the lightweight and welterweight divisions, ...
version. The opponent at the George Carnall Center in
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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 The Prizefighter series was a professional 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 rounds (number and length of the rounds ...
and ironically was drawn to face the man he should have defended his British title against, Colin Lynes in the quarter finals. The fight over three rounds resulted in a split decision win for Lynes and handed Barnes only his second defeat.


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Barnes, David Living people English male boxers 1981 births British Parachute Regiment soldiers Light-welterweight boxers Prizefighter contestants 21st-century English sportsmen