Barnes eyes complete medal set

Olympic medals, European medals, Commonwealth medals. Paddy Barnes has them all. Only a podium place at the world championships still eludes the Belfast boxer and he is determined that is about to change.

The bid to bag the full set begins today, in Kazakhstan, where the fifth seed meets Serbia’s Milos Baltic in a flyweight class topped by Andrew Selby of Wales.

“The world medal is the one medal I haven’t got and, even before the Olympic Games, as a kid I always wanted to be a world champion,” he said. “Now’s my time to try and do it, please God.”

His first experience of the worlds was a mixed one, losing out to China’s Zou Shiming in the quarter-final but earning a shot at the Olympics — where the same man would deprive him of a shot at the gold — for his efforts in Chicago.

There have been no silver linings since.

In 2009, he was sent home for what was termed unacceptable behaviour for the manner in which he reacted to a 15-4 decision awarded in favour of opponent Peter Munkai from Kenya. And then there was Milan in 2011.

“At the last World Championships I had excuses. In 2011, it was my first competition in the whole year because of a wrist injury. Going out there with no fights behind me, I was fit and prepared very well but without those fights it cost me.”

The ring-rust told with an opening bout defeat to Mark Barriga of the Philippines but he has clocked up ten fights in the run-in to today’s appearance and, true to form, he has talked up his chances at every opportunity.

“People think you’re killing yourself thinking, ‘I’m going to be world champion, I’m going out there to win gold’ but I don’t do that. I just take one fight at a time and do my best. If my best isn’t good enough, then I know I’m not good enough to do it.

“The only person who can put pressure on me is myself and I don’t do that. I just keep telling myself that at the end of the day it’s only a sport and (to) try my best.”

His confidence is based not just on a string of past successes in every other arena but on a new strength and conditioning regime under the guidance of Ryan Whitley at the University of Ulster in Jordanstown.

“I’m doing proper strength and conditioning whereas I’ve never ever done that before. That’s built up my strength and my power now. I’m just raging I didn’t do this a long time ago because it could have got me going last year.

“All I needed was to be one per cent stronger. Training with (the IABA’s strength and conditioning coach) John Cleary, there’s 20 boxers and one coach. You can’t do it, it’s impossible.”

Barnes is equally enamoured with the new scoring system introduced to the amateur fight game but his one concern seems to be the imposition of the rule doing away with headgear for the first time at a major championship.

Last June he was deprived of the opportunity to get in the ring for a gold medal bout with Russia’s David Ayrapetyan after the nose he broke in his opening bout finally came to the notice of the medics who called time on his challenge.

“I’ve never even sparred with no headguard on because I’ve always been trying to protect my nose which is crucial,” he admitted.

“It’s always going to be a bit in the back of your head, but I’ve a strategy to go out there and I’ve my own tactics so I’ll just work on them.”