This writer met Iran “The Blade” Barkley at the IBHOF the year Mike Tyson was inducted. It was in a bar called Graziano’s. Along with Barkley were Leon Spinks, Marlon Starling and George Chuvalo.
Recently this writer met Barkley at the PA BHOF in Northeast Philadelphia when he and Harold Lederman came in as guests of the VBA Ring One. Asking for an interview he gave me his phone number and I recently called him after reviewing his boxing record on www.boxrec.com in which he had a 43-19-1 record with 27 knockouts. Like many boxers he lost at the end of his career in July of 1999 after losing his last 6 fights of which 3 were out of the country. “I just walked away on my own for I needed a rest,” said Barkley.
Barkley after winning some amateur tournaments including at both Germany and Denmark in 1982 he turned professional. “I didn’t want to wait around for the 1984 Olympics for my daughter was being born,” said Barkley. His manager and trainer was Connie Bryant and assisted by Leon Washington with Philadelphia’s Eddie Aliano serving as his cut man. “I loved that guy (Eddie). He was the best. Later Al Bolden would train him. I visited Al when he was dying in a Houston hospital. I couldn’t believe what I saw,” said Barkley.
Calvin Murphy was Barkley’s security and Michael Griffin handled his financing. Today one of the top’s in boxing is cut man Joey Eye out of Philadelphia. “Iran Barkley is one sharp dude in the ring! They didn’t call him the blade for nuthin! He could box and he could bang,” said Joey Eye.
Turning professional in December of 1982 Barkley won his first 4 fights in Atlantic City before losing there to Osley Silas, 2-1-1, over 6 rounds. He would go 6-1 in 1983 defeating Frank Minto 4-0 and Marciano Bernardi 25-8-1 both in Atlantic City. He would lose to the half-brother of Marvelous Hagler in Robbie Sims in January of 1984. He would come back with 2 wins including over Esteban Pizzarro, 12-0-1. He would win 14 of his next 15 fights earning a world title fight in Italy against European champion Sumbu Kalambay, from the Congo who was living in Italy and had a 42-3-1 record and who was under contract with Bob Arum’s Top Rank. It was for the vacant WBA World Middleweight title.
Barkley earned this title fight defeating the likes of Silas who had defeated him in a rematch, Norberto Sabater, 25-5 twice. Barkley was 13-4 in Atlantic City and had his first fight in his home state of New York at the Felt Forum in April of `1985 in the first of two fights with Sabatar. In Barkley’s career he was 11-0 in New York. “Teddy Brenner the matchmaker of Madison Square Garden and the Felt Forum told me “you are going to be a punch drunk fighter.” From that time on Barkley said “every fighter was going to have Brenner’s face on them!”
Barkley won 9 straight fights at the Felt Forum including defeating Wilford Scypion, 29-7, stopping him in 8 rounds. Next up was Mike Tinley, 19-2-1 for the WBC Continental Americas title with Barkley winning a split decision over 12 rounds. His 9th win at the Felt Forum was defeating Basante Blanco, 7-0. He traveled to Detroit to fight James “The Heat” Kinchen, 37-1-2, defeating him by split decision over 10 rounds. He followed this with wins in Atlantic City and Las Vegas and then meeting Kalambay for the vacant WBA middleweight title in October of 1987. Barkley would be 0-6 in his career fighting out of the country in such places as Italy, Germany, Australia, Denmark, Finland and Canada. “If you didn’t knock them out you didn’t get the win,” said Barkley.
Two fights after losing to Kalambay Barkley defeated Michael Olajide, 25-1 at the Felt Forum stopping him in 5 rounds. This earned him a second world title fight winning the WBC middleweight title against Tommy “The Hit Man” Hearns, 45-2, in Las Vegas. Arum had Hearns so Barkley told him “I’m going to deliver him to you.” That he did stopping Hearns in 3 rounds for the title. He finally got a good pay day making 360k.
In Barkley’s first defense he would meet another future Hall of Famer in Roberto “Hands of Stone” Duran, 84-7, losing by a split decision in Atlantic City in February of 1989. Getting knocked down in the 11th round cost him the fight. Barkley would come back 6 months later fighting for the IBF title against Michael “Second to None” Dunn, 33-0, losing by majority decision in Las Vegas. Nunn defeated Olympic champ Frank Tate for the title and a title defense against Kalambay.
“Iran loved a good fight and he was no joke in the ring. He beat some great fighters from middleweight to heavyweight and fought them all. He beat Tommy Hearns twice, Sumbu Kalambay (disputed loss), in Italy, Michael “Silk” Olajide, Darrin Van Horn, James “The Heat” Kinchen, Wilford Scypion and Gerry Coetzee for a title and Estaban Pizzaro among many others. Even his losing efforts, like the one with Duran were great ones. Not too many fighters had his kind of determination for such a diverse career. Iran was always an accessible boxer, who could be seen at all the fights in the Metropolitan area. He also has a smile with a gift of gab,” said Bobby Goodman(matchmaker at MSG).
Barkley lost his third straight fight losing to Nigel Benn, 26-1, of the UK for his WBO middleweight title in the first round in August of 1990. “I went into the fight cold. He hit me after I was down and the referee Carlos Padilla should have DQ’d him. I talked to my father that morning and he was near death. I didn’t find out until after the fight he died after I talked to him,” said Barkley.
Barkley would defeat a pair of light heavyweights and win the IBF World super middleweight title stopping Darrin “School Boy” Van Horn, 47-2, in 2 rounds at the Paramount Theatre, in New York in January of 1992. It was his second division world title. Just 2 months later Barkley moved up to light heavyweight in a rematch with Hearns, then 50-3-1, in Las Vegas. Barkley won by split decision over Hearns. “He was Arum’s fighter and I told him it won’t be a quick knockout like last time for I’m going to punish him to the end,” said Barkley. He was paid 500k for this fight. Barkley received the “comeback of the year” award from the Ring Magazine in 1992.
In a non-title fight he stopped the son of former heavyweight title challenger Zora Folley, Robert Folley, 22-5-1, in Atlantic City. “Arum talked me into dropping back down to 168 since I had to give up my title to fight for the light heavyweight title,” said Barkley. He dropped 10 pounds in 2 months losing to James “Lights Out” Toney, 33-0-2, for the IBF world super middleweight title.
“I decided to move up to heavyweight,” said Barkley. He put on 40 pounds in 6 months winning his first fight over 200 at 208 scoring a knockout. He then lost to future IBF cruiserweight champion Adolpho Washington, 21-2-1, in October of 1993. He would get down to under 200 winning 2 fights and had to drop 20 pounds in 2 months to fight former Olympic Gold Medal winner German Henry Maske, 24-0, for the IBF world light heavyweight title. He retired after 9 rounds at the Gerry Weber Stadium in Germany.
Barkley would move back up to cruiserweight losing a pair of fights with one in Australia and the other to Rocky Gannon, 20-4, in Las Vegas by majority decision in Las Vegas. Barkley decided to move back up to heavyweight winning 7 straight fights including giving away 80 pounds defeating 300 pound Craig Payne who once defeated Tyson in the amateurs.
“They put me in with South Africa’s Gerry Coetzee, 33-5-1, the former WBA heavyweight champion now living in San Diego with the fight being in Hollywood, CA. He had that “Bionic hand” which had a steel rod in it,” said Barkley. It was for the vacant World Boxing Board heavyweight title with Barkley ending the career of Coetzee stopping him in the 10th of a 12 round bout. “Arum told me I wasn’t a heavyweight so I proved him wrong in this fight,” said Barkley.
After the Coetzee fight in June of 1997 Barkley went through the motions winning his next fight in North Dakota going 1-7-1 the rest of the way before retiring after losing to Keith McKnight, 36-2. Prior to that fight he lost to former WBC heavyweight champion then the Canadian champion Trevor Berbick, 47-10-1, in Quebec, Canada by decision. He had losses in Denmark and Finland prior to this.
In a career from 1982 to 1999 Barkley won 3 world division titles in defeating Hearns for the WBC middleweight title in 1988, then defeating Van Horn for the IBF super middleweight title in 1992. This followed in a rematch with Hearns defeating him in 1992 for the WBA light heavyweight title. It was a roller coaster career for the man they called “The Blade” retiring at the age of 39 with some 63 fights. He was 13-4 in Atlantic City and as before mentioned 11-0 in New York.
Barkley was inducted into the New Jersey Hall of Fame in November of 2000. It wasn’t until 2013 he was inducted into the New York HOF. The man they called “The Blade” did more than defeat Hearns for 2 tiles defeating Van Horn in between both wins! Few people could claim to have won 3 world titles in 3 different divisions!