Barker Backs Kessler

Darren Barker is getting ready for his Octiber 5th comeback by sparring with WBA and WBC super-middleweight champion Mikkel Kessler this week.The Barnet Southern Area middleweight champion has not fought since death of his brother, Gary, in a car accident last December.Undefeated Barker, who won a gold medal at the 2002 Commonwealth Games, will return to action on the undercard of Jon Thaxton's British Lightweight Title defence against Dave Stewart at the York Hall in Bethnal Green, in a Hennessy Sports show in partnership with GoldenPalace.com which will be televised live by Sky Sports.The 23-year-old is in Copenhagen helping Kessler’s preparations for his world title unification fight against Britain's Joe Calzaghe in November.“It has been great experience sparring with Kessler and I’m more than holding my own,” said Barker, who is short-listed for the Boxing Writers’ Young Boxer of the Year award.“I'm over here for a week and the quality he has got means the sparring is really beneficial for me. He's at the pinnacle of his game and a double world champion and sparring with someone like that can only bring you on. I've picked up some things which will be useful.“I needed the time out of the ring to get it together but now I'm more hungry than ever.“I'm supposed to be fighting again on November 2. I want to keep winning and then those title fights will come my way.”