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Sims ready to put loss lessons to use in must-win Barboza battle
The way that Kenneth Sims Jr. sees it, he and Arnold Barboza Jr. find themselves in a similar boat as they enter tomorrow's headline bout in California.
Live on DAZN, 'Bossman' arrives on the back of a stinging loss, as does his foe - and at Anaheim's Honda Center, it's a critical Saturday for both men.
"We're both kind of in the same position," Sims admits when he speaks to DAZN News during a Zoom call two days out from the bout. "Win or go home."
Each man have come up short in painfully different ways. Sims faced off with Oscar Duarte in Chicago last August, and was eked out by majority decision.
Barboza meanwhile found himself thoroughly outclassed by Teofimo Lopez, in a unanimous reverse at Times Square last May to check his own ambitions.
But the manner of such a close defeat has taught Sims a valuable lesson that intends to apply to the fullest against Barboza - complete and utter control.
"I've got to dominate the fights,” he said. “I've got to make it convincingly clear. Even if it’s not a knockout, I can’t leave it up to people’s point of view.
“Boxing is subjective. Some judges like pressure, some judges like clean boxing. So no matter what they like, they [have got to] know you’re winning.”
That could signal a more aggressive Sims, as he touches down in his opponent's home city hellbent on securing a return to victorious ways in style.
In many ways, a collision course was destined between the pair. Sims says he was offered a fight with Barboza back in 2021, one the latter ultimately declined.
The former would not got so far as to insinuate that his opponent was ducking him. More so, the Chicago native saw it as a sign of respect from his rival.
“I know I’m a risky fighter too” he reflects. “I didn’t have a big enough name to get that fight, but I was enticing him, trying to antagonize him a little bit.”
He has the opportunity now. Although the build-up to their bout has been shrouded in respect, the intensity is thick due to the urgency to win for both men.
If Sims is successful at outpointing Barboza, his plan is simple. Don't go expecting any call-outs - 'Bossman' has unfinished business with one man on his mind.
“I want to fight Duarte again,” he says, ready to take matters out of the judges' hands for good. “That’s what I want. I’m so competitive. I just want to get that back.”
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