Gidday fellas! my Aussie cousins from down under. Wanted to get your views on your man Barry Boy (although technically he's ours...). How's he viewed and rated in Australia? My old man was fond of Barry Boy Mickael and tells me about the night he fought Rocky Lockridge just a few miles from where i reside, the night all hell broke loose and everyone thought a bomb was in the building. Barry was a decent fighter, good variety, applied educated pressure and brillient to the body. Although he was a sucker for a overhand left and didn't adapt well, which may explain his problem with southpaws. Whats his best fight? Al Carter? Lester when he won the title? the Frank Ropis fight was a barnburner, as many of Barry's fights were. How would he have done against people like our very own Barry McGuigan or even Jeff Fenech, i suspect Fenech would've been too strong for him. Different class was Jeff. So, whats the view on Barry in the big Auss? Strikes me as a very articulate, charismatic fella, who's a good ambassador for the sport. :good
Great fighter. Nice bloke to have a great chat with. Commentary is generally good provided its not anything with Anthony Mundine. Anthony Mundine fighting = woeful commentator.
Personal favourite was the war with Al Carter. But I was at the Lester bout and it was a war as well, in fact Barry often went to war. Tough *******. Don't think he was ever off his feet! As Kegs says above, Michael seems to be less objective in his commentary when Mundine is involved.
We've been getting the Aussie feed as our commentators are only doing the British fighters bouts and i must say, i've been very impressed with Barry's co-commentary. The main blow-by-blow guy (Bruce?) is awesome aswell.
Barry was a very tough fighter, never off his feet in 60 fights. His fight with Ellis was great as was the win over Earthquake Carter, not a fan of his Mundine man love though.
Very likeable. When I met the bloke there was no introduction, he sat next to me at the Inkerman and asked me if I was enjoying a live telecast being shown there. We had a great chat. His Comm Games commentary has been excellent. When there is no paymaster to appease everybody generally speaks thief mind. His commentary has been very honest and witty, he sounds like he is really enjoying the games.
barry still has the best chin in australian boxing. he got it after he retired.......by carrying mundines nuts on his chin... .
barry is top bloke and a great supporter of both pro and amateur boxing. he's probably the main promoter in melbourne and does a decent job in what is now the most fringe of sports. as a fighter he came in on the end of boxings main stream popularity and for many years was the face of boxing down here (in melb at least) he was just one of those fighters that every time he looked like stepping up would lose and/or was a fighter that to international quality opposition qualified as too little risk for too little reward there is a great doco about the lester ellis v BM fight. you should see if you can down load from some where. i'm sure someone must've posted it. as for the mundine stuff - look he just rates the blokes talent - he has never denied the whole cherry picking thing or the big mouth. but anyone who says mundine can't fight is blinded by his horrible personality and his failure to fight anyone of quality - although he did fight and beat green and geale so...
Your not wrong there mate Barry was a tough *******... i rememeber watchin a doco where he was talkin bout him fight with Ellis.. said he was talkin to Lester when they were in close. Sayin things like "u cant knock me out. no one has ever even knocked me down!"
Barry in my opinion has been a credit to the sport of boxing As a fighter he would be one of our greatest. Anyone that thinks different should watch the Carter fight.