Jess Barry…back in action after shining on TV arena show
AFTER the highs of a sterling performance on a televised arena show comes a return to bread-and-butter boxing for Jess Barry.
Not that a slot on the Excelsior Sporting Club’s November 26 annual St Andrew’s night fight card can be dubbed bread and butter. At the plush Cannock venue, there’ll be steak, haggis and whisky tasting. Bagpipes, too.
The Coventry “Banshee” faces French super-bantam Ingrid Bradu, who has won three of eight, but is coming off a national title fight. The bout is over six rounds.
For 32-year-old Jess it’s a return to arms following her first foray into world class – and she excelled despite dropping the decision. She and former world title challenger Reina Tellez, from Texas, served-up an exciting, bruising 10 rounder on MVP’s major UK v USA card at the BP Pulse Live Arena, Birmingham.
Sky Sports viewers were treated to a barnstormer.
Having tasted the big time, Barry, with two losses in 12, wants more. But in the meantime, she’s more than happy to make her third appearance at Scott Murray’s Excelsior Club: she actually boxed on its 2023 St Andrew’s show.
She said: “After such a big fight it’s going to be quite nice to go on a smaller show off the radar. I’m grateful for the opportunity.
“I’ve always loved entertaining fights so if people were entertained and impressed by the Tellez fight, that means more to me than anything. The pressure is making sure my fights are all as good as the last one.”
Jess suffered an injury in that battle – “I rolled my ankle really badly in the eighth, didn’t realise it at the time” – and the Excelsior provides an ideal platform to ease back.
The tussle with the Texan was certainly gripping, with Jess sucking it up to apply her own pressure. In many way, it was a “coming of age” performance, although the former English champ admitted the no-holds-barred scrap took its toll.
“The physical and emotional side…it took me quite a while to get back into it,” she said. “It wiped me out, it really takes it out of you. After a fight I always struggle for a few days after – after that one I felt ill for a good week from the adrenaline and emotion. It was a shock to the system.
“I didn’t know what to expect because I’ve never been through that situation.
“Jon (manager Jon Pegg) said, ‘I couldn’t have asked any more from you’. You think, what if I did this or did that, but, really, that isn’t there after that one. For that camp, nothing went wrong, I knew it was my time.
“I still have people coming up to me in the street today talking about the fight. I feel everyone celebrated like I was the one who had her hand raised and that’s absolutely mental.”
Importantly, Tellez showed Barry what she can achieve – and Jess now plans to up the anti in a bid to reach the top, the sacrifices including taking a step back from her day job with SSE Energy Solutions. Barry realises she has to focus on the sport full-time.
“I’m looking to take a career break from my job in the new year so I can progress,” she said. “After my last fight, I was back in work on the Tuesday and it did me in. I was the only person on that show who still worked (during the day).
“If I didn’t do very well in that fight I’d say, I know my level, but I think I showed I belong there. I worked my backside off and it wasn’t good enough, but it was almost good enough so I have to give it that chance. I think I’d be stupid not to give it a real go.
“Something has to happen in the next months. I feel I wouldn’t be ready to jump straight into a world title fight – maybe a world title eliminator. She (Tellez) had that edge in experience over me, she was better than I expected. I don’t think I’ve boxed as good as that before and that’s because she made me box at my best.”
On November 26, the Excelsior will celebrate Scottish cuisine. The night will, however, have a French flavour for Barry.
*Leamington’s former European champ Danny Quartermaine and Gloucester’s talented Shabir Haidary are also on the bill.