Ex-world champ back in camp for toughest challenge of his life

Former IBF world middleweight champ Darren Barker is back in camp for his biggest challenge yet — but the DAZN News columnist is not preparing to return to the ring.

Instead of lacing up the gloves for a comeback, he will be tackling The Longest Round across Europe in memory of Ricky Hatton to break the silence around mental health.

"Right, I am back in camp, I am training, but I’m not fighting," Barker revealed on Instagram. "I have another fight on my hands, arguably the toughest of my life.

“Last September, I had the absolute honour of and privilege of sitting down with the legend Ricky Hatton. Days later, he wasn’t with us.

“I want to do something for mental health. I want to do something to try and break the silence. Strength isn’t silence — strength is speaking.

“So I want to do something for the Ricky Hatton Foundation and CALM, two terrific charities in the space."

He added: "I won’t lie, it’s going to be brutal. But after losing Ricky last year, I felt like I have a message to carry.

"This challenge is about breaking the silence around mental health, raising money for the charities out there doing the work and helping people who are struggling to find their voice."

James Fearn/Getty Images

Starting in August, Barker will cycle from Edinburgh to Dover, swim across the English Channel and ride through France and Spain to Gibraltar.

But that’s not all as the final leg of The Longest Round will see the Chelsea fan swim the Strait of Gibraltar to Morocco.

Barker, 44, said: “I am training my socks off. My hands are all wrinkly from the water and my backside’s sore from the bike, but I’m going to get this done.

"I hope I’ll be doing Ricky proud. I’m incredibly grateful to DAZN, Matchroom Boxing, our charity partners and everyone supporting this journey.

“This is The Longest Round. Come join me, please support me and follow this journey. Together we can get it done and break the silence.”

To find out more and keep up to date with Barker’s progress, follow The Longest Round here.

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