Joseph Parker’s other Barry
Boxing has always been a big part of Bryan Barry’s life but as a young amateur fighter, he never dreamed it would turn out quite like this.
Elbows on the canvas and peering over the bottom rope inside London’s 02 Arena – alongside his brother Kevin – on Sunday morning (NZT), Barry will be back in Joseph Parker’s (24-1) corner when the Kiwi heavyweight attempts to punch himself back into world title contention against Englishman Dillian Whyte (23-1).
Barry, Parker’s cut man, has been a mainstay in the corner since 2013 when Parker teamed up with his trainer Kevin Barry.
‘‘It’s a dream come true to be involved in the sort of fights Joseph is in,’’ Barry said.
The ride with Parker will not last forever, it never does with any boxer. Barry, happy to stay out of the spotlight as the lesserknown Barry brother, aims to enjoy the Parker journey but admits he barely watches Parker’s fights as a spectacle.
‘‘I’m 100 per cent focused on Joseph and how the fight is going. I’m also thinking about what will happen if is he is cut.
‘‘It’s a hard one to explain but you’re so caught up in it as it’s happening, the fight’s over before you know it,’’ Barry said.
The sons of former New Zealand coach, the late Kevin Barry Snr, Bryan and Kevin have the sport ingrained in their DNA.
The brothers, who grew up in Christchurch, were always surrounded by boxing. Bryan, who went on to have a distinguished amateur career, had his first fight at age nine.
Kevin won a silver medal at the 1984 Olympics but like their father, the boys have gone on to make their mark in the training ranks.
Barry, who trains out of his Round 12 gym in Christchurch, might be half a world away from Parker’s training base in Las Vegas but the Whyte fight is never far from his mind.
‘‘I’ve been talking to Kevin right through the camp and we are constantly bouncing ideas off each other,’’ he said before flying to London.
Barry, who had dreams of being of a harness racing driver when he was young, has had many highs and lows on the edge of the canvas.
He was in the corner the night Parker defeated Andy Ruiz Jr in 2016 to become the WBO heavyweight champion and when Anthony Joshua took the belt from Parker in March.
He was also in the corner when David Tua was comprehensively out-pointed for Lennox Lewis’ IBF, IBO and WBC belts in 2000. Barry said Team Parker has learnt a lot from the loss to Joshua and he expects an improved performance against a noted brawler in Whyte.
Parker and Whyte only have one loss on their records – both came at the hands of Joshua.
‘‘We don’t have to push the panic button just because we lost one fight.
‘‘Kevin is one of those guys that thinks what could I have done better? What could I have done differently?
‘‘You learn something every fight and there will be a different approach against Whyte,’’ Barry said.
Ironically, one week before Parker’s loss to Joshua, Barry was at the O2 Arena to see Whyte brutally knock out Australian Lucas Browne.
‘‘It’s funny because when we left the O2 that night we were talking about how good it would be to fight Dillian Whyte but not really thinking that it would happen.’’
Parker deserves a lot of credit for taking on the dangerous Whyte in his first outing since the loss to Joshua.
‘‘It tells you that Joseph’s not afraid of anybody, he’ll take on any challenge at all, he’s ready to fight anybody, Barry said.
But he also feels the same credit should be extended to Whyte.
Whyte is ranked No. 1 contender for Deontay Wilder’s WBC belt and number two behind Alexander Povetkin for Joshua’s WBO strap. Should he lose to Parker he would take a significant fall down the rankings.
‘‘You’ve got to give credit to Dillian Whyte too because for him the fight is a huge risk,’’ Barry said.
‘‘He could have easily just played it safe and waited for his title shot. In his own mind, he must 100 per cent think he can win this fight. If he had one little doubt he wouldn’t be taking it,’’ Barry said.