Darren Barker has admitted he is ‘heartbroken’ after he was cruelly denied the chance to swim the English Channel – but he has made last-minute plans to ensure he finishes The Longest Round.
Former IBF middleweight world champion Barker had successfully finished the first stage of the fundraising challenge – in memory of Ricky Hatton – after cycling all the way from Edinburgh to Dover.
The toughest stage was to come imminently, as he prepared to swim the English Channel for 21 miles. However, on Wednesday night, a devastated Barker announced that the leg had been cancelled altogether – and he would now be swimming the equivalent distance in Dover instead on Thursday, before getting a ferry over to France.
Barker announced: “I wish I was giving you some good news, some updates that would be positive – but it’s quite the opposite. So anyone who knows about the English Channel will know that the weather can be very volatile and you’re in the hands of God.
“The pilot, who is the captain of the ship that assists you – he gives you the green light or the red light. So at 9 this morning (Wednesday), when I spoke to the pilot, all was good. He said it would be windy, it would pick up in the middle of the day but we should be OK. At about 7pm (Wednesday), just before 7, he rang me again and said it’s a no-go. The weather is poor, and it’s poor for the duration of my tide. So I have a week, it’s the 27th of August to the 3rd of September.
“So that now means I can’t swim the English Channel until next year. I’ll explain that in a bit. And my relay partners, one lives in Berkshire and one lives in Warrington – they’re here in Dover. So we said, look it’s out of our hands and there’s nothing we can do. But let’s still swim. Let’s replicate the distance that we were all going to do in the Channel. So we’re going to get into Dover and we’re going to swim along the English shore and still put in the distance. I am absolutely wounded.
“I would say 80 to 85% of my training for this, since February 13th has been swimming. I have swum my absolute backside off in lakes, in pools, in seas, home and away – I am sitting here now and I can’t help but think it’s been a big waste of time.
“But I will get into the sea, I will swim tomorrow. I won’t let you down, although I am gutted. And hopefully I can have a chat with some people on the beach, and keep the conversations going while getting in the sea, and just getting it done. There’s nothing else I can do – I am wounded and gutted. Thanks for everyone who has supported, sorry if I’ve let you down, it’s out of my hands.”
The 44-year-old then added: “Also I was in the car with my mum, getting the last bits, some shopping for the boat, and Red Hot Chilli Peppers was playing. I looked out the window, and I went ‘I’m pumped for tomorrow, I can’t wait for tomorrow’. And I kid you not, no word of a lie, I’d say between 10 and 20 seconds after saying I was pumped, the pilot text me and ‘I’m so sorry’. Honestly, heartbroken, like a fight falling through. But it is what it is, mother nature has spoken.”
Barker is taking on The Longest Round to raise money and awareness for suicide prevention charity Campaign Against Living Miserably (CALM) – in which Hatton was an ambassador of.
Before setting off on the 1800-mile adventure, Barker, who had interviewed Ricky five days before his death, said: “I feel like I owe this to Ricky. He gave up his time to speak to me and I want to do something for him, but also for the bigger picture.
“I want people who are struggling to know that it’s OK not to be OK and to encourage them to have those uncomfortable conversations. Strength isn’t silence. Strength is speaking.”
He added: “Ricky will always be a hero of mine. He was the man that brought the big nights to British boxing. The man that brought the big crowds. But away from boxing, he was so likeable – he was the man next door – everyone could relate to Ricky. So funny, charming, just a real good guy with a big heart and someone that people could look up to. He is massively missed.”
And as Barker prepares to set off on the second stage of The Longest Round, Ricky’s son Campbell sent a heartfelt message to him: “All the best for the challenge mate. Some task you’re setting out to do there. Rather you than me, but great cause and my dad would be made up.”
