Barry Jones: “Amir Khan looked a little bit scared of getting hit again. Mayweather bosses him with comfort”

Barry Jones is a former WBO super featherweight champion who was stripped of his title due to an irregularity that supposedly showed on a brain scan, we discuss that issue plus lots more including the overall massive growth of British Boxing talent, his thoughts on the Floyd Mayweather Manny Pacquiao bout including Manny Pacquiao’s shoulder injury. In addition, we spoke about Amir Kahn’s possible chances against Floyd Mayweather, Tyson Fury’s chances against Wladimir Klitschko and much more. Here is what Barry Jones had to say.

Robert Brown: Can you tell the readers how you first discovered boxing and why you decided to turn pro?

Barry Jones: I first got involved in boxing when I was 9 years old. I went because my older brother started. I turned pro quite young — too young really — I sort of got talked into it, I always felt like I was going to become a pro boxer, but in hindsight I should have waited a few more years

Robert Brown: British boxing is in fantastic shape at the moment with names such as Frampton, Brook, Froch, DeGale and Joshua. How do you think this era compares to previous eras and who should we look out for to emerge into the spotlight?

Barry Jones: I agree, I think we are on the cusp of a golden era for British boxing. Almost every division is strong, from (Tyson) Fury and (Anthony) Joshua at heavy to Butler and Yafai down at super flyweight. Lee Selby just put on a boxing clinic to win a world title and DeGale and Jamie McDonnell adding to the growing list of fighters winning titles in the U.S.

Robert Brown: You Captured the WBO super featherweight title against Colombian, Wilson Palacio. Can you describe what was going through your mind after winning the world title?

Barry Jones: Winning the world title is surreal; to achieve your lifetime ambition at such a young age is something I could never put into words.

Robert Brown: No sooner had you won the title to then have it stripped away from you because of brain scan results which showed an irregularity. Tell me what you were going through at the time and do you think the British Board of Control made the right decision at the time?

Barry Jones: Firstly, I just wanted to know that I was going to be ok, but I soon found out the so called problem, wasn’t really a problem but a change in my scan, and then I was just frustrated, hurt and angry. I also feel that the boxing board let me down in a big way.Aand because of their treatment, I fell out of love with the sport, which then meant I was lost, living an aimless life for a time, with no goals and constantly feeling sorry for myself.

Robert Brown: After being cleared, you were given the opportunity to fight for the title against Acelino Freitas, which unfortunately ended in an 8th round TKO loss, however you only had one tune up fight in almost 2 years. Do you believe things would have been different without the enforced layoff?

Barry Jones: Who knows. I might have lost the title before Freitas came along, or maybe I’d have been more seasoned. I have a load of excuses why I lost that night. First fight in 2 years and that was 6 months before Freitas. I never sparred for the fight and most importantly and almost unbelievable, Freitas never made the weight. But with my hand on my heart I can honestly say, I lost that fight because I just wasn’t good enough to beat him, and that’s just the way it goes sometimes.

Robert Brown: Do you feel unfulfilled in your boxing career despite winning the world title because of your forced time out of the ring due to medical reasons?

Barry Jones: Only in the sense that I never got any recognition at the time. Rather than people saying I was unlucky with what happened, I was just thought of as someone who never deserved to be there. But I was never in the sport for pats on the back.

Robert Brown: What were your thoughts on the Floyd Mayweather vs. Manny Pacquiao fight? Given the aftermath and the revelations concerning Manny Pacquiao’s shoulder injury, do you think a rematch is warranted?

Barry Jones: I surprised that people were surprised with how the fight went to be honest. And as far as Manny Pacquiao being injured, well sometimes that’s part of the sport, if it’s true, it’s very unfortunate but I’m not a lover of people making excuses.

Robert Brown: If Amir Khan gets the opportunity to face Floyd Mayweather, how do you see that fight playing out?

Barry Jones: I thought Amir may cause Floyd a few problems with his speed, combination punching and height and reach. But after watching the Algieri fight and even though Amir boxed well and beat a very good but underrated kid in Algieri, he looked a little bit scared of getting hit again, something we haven’t seen for his last couple of brilliant performances prior to this. So now my revised opinion is that Mayweather bosses him with comfort.

Robert Brown: Tyson Fury is now the mandatory challenger for Wladimir Klitschko’s crown, how do you assess Tyson’s chances in that fight? What must he do to win?

Barry Jones: Firstly I don’t think he can beat him, but he’ll make Wladimir Klitschko fight, because Fury is as game as they come, he’s also a better boxer than he gets credit for, but he’ll trend push the fight with Wladimir Klitschko, which I think is what you have to do. But also in that tactic lies the problem that you make a mistake and Wladimir Klitschko’s always happy to sit and patiently wait for that to happen.

Robert Brown: Any message you would like to pass on to your fans and the fans of Boxnation?

Barry Jones: Boxing around the world is really buzzing at the minute, all the weights are stacked with great talent, and even though the politics and the governing bodies sometimes leave us fans a little frustrated, we have recently been treated to some cracking fights.

To everyone who tunes into Boxnation, thank you for allowing me to be involved again with my first true love, ‘Boxing’. I hope you’ve enjoyed the fights we’ve shown, but the best is yet to come. But most importantly just support boxing go to shows, amateur and professional, and tune into the fights on Sky Sports and Boxnation and let’s keep the momentum going.