Iran Barkley vs Sumbu Kalambay

The last WBA middleweight championship contest scheduled for fifteen rounds produced a clear victory for a boxer whose control of distance outweighed his opponent’s greater force. At the Palazzo dello Sport in Livorno, Italy, on October 23, 1987, Sumbu Kalambay outpointed Iran Barkley to win the vacant title. Referee Isidro Rodriguez supervised a contest in which Barkley persistently sought openings for his powerful left hook, while Kalambay’s jab and movement prevented him from sustaining the close-range exchanges he wanted.

The vacancy had arisen when the WBA stripped Marvin Hagler for choosing to fight Sugar Ray Leonard rather than its mandatory challenger, Herol Graham. Kalambay then earned his opportunity by defeating Graham over twelve rounds at Wembley in May 1987, taking the European championship and ending the British boxer’s unbeaten record. The Zaire-born Italian entered the Livorno contest with 42 wins, three defeats and one draw. Barkley, from the Bronx, had 22 victories against three defeats and was making his first world championship appearance. Hagler, whose defeat by Leonard had unsettled the division’s championship arrangements, attended as a television commentator. Approximately 4,500 spectators watched the contest.

The opening round was cautious, with neither man immediately establishing a decisive advantage. Barkley sought to turn the contest into a test of strength, but Kalambay began answering his advances with quicker, more precise punches. An uppercut caught the American in the third, and Kalambay continued effectively in the fourth. Their left hands served different purposes: Barkley looked for damaging hooks, while Kalambay used his jab to interrupt attacks and collect points. Barkley had a productive sixth round, although Kalambay answered strongly before the bell. The American’s pressure remained a threat, but it was not sufficient to make Kalambay abandon his measured approach.

Through the middle rounds, Kalambay’s defensive work continued to frustrate Barkley’s efforts to impose himself. The Italian could score and move before the American established a prolonged attack, obliging Barkley to begin his pursuit again. Kalambay had the better of a fierce ninth-round exchange, but Barkley recovered some ground in the tenth, when a slip disrupted his opponent. Near the end of the eleventh, Kalambay landed a sustained sequence of lefts and rights against the increasingly hard-pressed American. Barkley remained determined and continued looking for the punches which might reverse the contest, but Kalambay’s accuracy had established a substantial advantage.

Barkley’s condition reflected the accumulated punishment. He was bruised and bloodied, and a doctor examined his left eyebrow late in the contest. Nevertheless, he continued attacking and made a determined effort in the final rounds. The contemporary Italian account credited him with the last two, but his late work could not undo Kalambay’s earlier superiority. The contest went the full fifteen rounds, with Kalambay having repeatedly prevented Barkley from converting pressure into sustained control.

The judges were unanimous. Ove Ovesen and Charles Williams each scored the contest 147 to 140 for Kalambay, while Rodolfo Maldonado returned 147 to 142. Kalambay’s record improved to 43 wins, three defeats and one draw; Barkley’s became 22 wins and four defeats. The verdict rewarded a consistent display of boxing rather than a single dramatic incident. Barkley had remained competitive through his strength and persistence, but Kalambay’s jab, defensive movement and cleaner punching governed enough of the contest to leave a clear margin at the finish. Barkley acknowledged the result without qualification: “I got beat by a better fighter.”

I rated Kalambay; he was clever and had the athleticism to match that boxing IQ. This was a demonstration of how to handle a dangerous puncher. Kalambay had already beaten Herol Graham, so his quality should have been obvious. Against Barkley, he used the jab to score, interrupt the American’s approach and keep the exchanges at a distance that suited him. That left hand did an awful lot of work.

Barkley was game, and his left hook remained a threat, but pressure needs positioning. Following a man round without consistently pinning him down gives a clever boxer time to reset. Kalambay kept making Barkley start again, then caught him with cleaner punches when openings appeared. I’d call that disciplined boxing, with enough nerve to stay composed against someone who could hurt him.

The decision was right. Barkley’s toughness made him worth watching, but Kalambay’s control won the fight. For me, this is why he deserves more attention when people discuss that strong middleweight era after Hagler.