Finally healthy, Barr ready to step back into the ring

FORT MYERS — Having just about fallen off the boxing map, Naples resident Freeman Barr is ready to prove he still has plenty of fight left in him.

The 32-year-old native of the Bahamas will step into the ring July 29 at the Harborside Events Center in downtown Fort Myers for the first time in over two years against a yet-to-be-determined light heavyweight opponent.

Barr’s eight-round fight is the co-main event of what is expected to be a 10-bout card titled “Brawl on the River II; Return to Glory,” which is being cross-promoted by SJC Boxing, Inc., Explosive Promotions and ScrapYard Boxing. The three principle promoters — Steve Canton of SJC, Calvin Choy of Explosive and Craig Fuller of ScrapYard — held a press conference Wednesday evening at Canton’s Fort Myers gym to go over the details.

“We honestly think because of lead time and working as a team we can sell out the place,” Canton said of the 1,500-seat venue. “And this should be a good chance for Freeman to really show that he’s back.”

What put Barr out of commission for so long was not a big punch, but rather a frightening illness that went undetected for almost four years — sarcoidosis, which is a disease due to inflammation most frequently found in the lungs.

According to Canton, Barr (26-4, 13 KOs) managed to make it through seven fights over a two-year span between April 20, 2002 and April 23, 2004 with this debilitating disease. Three of those bouts ended in defeat, including a loss by technical knockout at TECO Arena on May 2, 2003, to Mger Mkrtchian that denied Barr a shot at the WBO super-middleweight title. He followed that up with a win over Anthony Brooks at Harborside in what wound up being his last fight until now.

Photo by Dan Wagner .DW

Naples' Freeman Barr, who hadn't fought in nearly two years, as he was returning to the ring on July 29, 2006, in Fort Myers.

“I’d say throughout my whole boxing career, about 90 percent of the time I was injured or sick,” said Barr, who has bulked up to 175 pounds after losing a significant amount of weight as a result of the sarcoidosis. “I’m just ready to get back in the ring because I miss the fans. I know I have some ring rust, but I feel a lot better now.

“It’s all about what’s inside. I’ve always taken the approach that it’s not the size of the guy, it’s the fight in the guy. I told myself if I could get over this disease I can fight again, and every time I wanted to give up I said I’m not finished with boxing.”

Canton, Fuller and Choy — who is making his pro fighting debut in addition to promoting the show — all hope this is the first step not only to a successful return for Barr, but to a new beginning for boxing in Southwest Florida. Former two-time WBC lightweight champion Cesar Bazan also is scheduled to go eight rounds in the other co-main event.

Fuller, Canton and Choy spoke of long-range plans to bring more fights to the area, open more gyms around the country and the world to train amateur and professional boxers and incorporate a television production company with their worldwide promotion company.

Ticket prices for the July 29th showcase are $25 for general admission, $50 for reserved seating, $75 for preferred seating and $100 for ringside. A limited number of tables seating 10 will be available for $1,500.

For more information call (239) 229-9788.