[otw_shortcode_quote border=”bordered” border_style=”bordered”]Redemption is something you have to fight for in a very personal, down-dirty way. Some of our characters lose that, some stray from that, and some regain it. ― Joss Whedon[/otw_shortcode_quote]
Boxers, like superheroes, inspire us. We watch as they rise, fall and often times journey to places we can only dream of.
Awakening us with necessary life lessons, we watch and are moved by these modern-day gladiators of the ring.
When a superhero is unveiled, we aren’t always afforded the most intricate details of the protagonists’ backstory or origins.
The same holds true in boxing. Fans aren’t always given the full perspective, so it’s easy to lose sight of the fact that by the time a fighter steps into the squared circle, countless hours, days, months and even years of preparation have been put in, all to perform at an extraordinarily high level.
In The Psychology Behind Superhero Origin Stories, an exploration of superheroes and how they inspire people to cope with adversity, clinical psychologist Robin Rosenberg states that superheroes typically undergo three life-altering experiences that we can relate to–trauma, destiny and chance.
Ty Barnett’s (22-4-1, 14 KOs) story–filled with triumph, letdown, near death and redemption–is the quintessential superhero tale, and one certainly worth telling.
Barnett–who has not been in the ring since May of 2014 when he was stopped in the ninth round by veteran and former world title contender Cosme “Chino” Rivera–returns on Saturday, February 27, 2016 to headline a night of boxing in his hometown of Washington, DC against former title contender, Daniel Attah (28-21-1, 11 KOs).
Seemingly destined to be a boxer, Barnett showed promise early on as a successful amateur with numerous Golden Gloves championships to his credit.
Fighting out of the fabled Headbangers Gym in Washington, DC under world-renowned trainers Barry Hunter and Patrice Harris, Barnett grew up alongside former world champion Lamont Peterson and his younger brother, Anthony Peterson.
But even with all of his success inside the ring, Barnett has always battled with many distractions outside of it.
“Leading up to the loss [against Cosme Rivera] I wasn’t focused 100 percent,” explained Barnett in a recent interview with Round By Round Boxing.
“I was still running around, partying, dealing with females and thinking I could balance everything out. I thought I had everything in control with the boxing too, but it took its toll on me as you can see in my last fight.”
After the loss to Rivera, Barnett was forced to sit down and do some serious soul searching.
“After the loss [to Rivera] I just sat back and I had to reflect on my career,” said Barnett. “I had to look at the way I was living and the things I was doing outside of boxing and really ask myself what I wanted to do. I made the decision to make the sacrifice and get back focused 100 percent with tunnel vision.”
But, every so often, life has a tendency to throw one of those life-altering experiences at you. Luckily for Barnett, he is alive to tell the story and continue the pursuit of his dream–boxing on the highest level.
“I had decided to go back to my roots at Headbangers with my old trainers–Boogie (Patrice Harris), Barry [Hunter] and get back to it,” said Barnett. “And then in this whole process I was the victim of a drive-by shooting. I got shot in the stomach and that shut me down for a couple of months, but never the less I got back up, got back on the horse and kept going.”
By the time he faced Rivera, Barnett had left Headbangers, and although he did not want to delve too deep into his departure, he did discuss the process which led him back.
“I left for my own personal reasons and while I don’t really want to elaborate on that too much; we all sat at the table and cleared the air on everything,” said Barnett.
[otw_shortcode_quote border=”bordered” border_style=”bordered”]Growing up in the gym there are a lot of things that you go through that people on the outside don’t know or just don’t understand. All people see is the outcome of things and they have their own opinions, but nobody really understands or knows what went on with Ty Barnett. But, nevertheless we put everything to the side, cleared the air and we picked back up where we left off… It’s like being a little kid in a candy store again. I’m back home, excited, with good energy around me and I’m just ready to do my thing. ― Ty Barnett[/otw_shortcode_quote]
Though his trials and tribulations have been more than enough to fill a lifetime, Barnett’s story is far from over. And now with a strong training camp in the books and fight night less than a week away, Barnett seems poised to make the most of his new chance on February 27.
“Training camp has been going great. I’m in there sparring with a lot of southpaws right now. Patrick Harris, [Gervonta] Tank Davis came by, Tyreek Irby, Mike Reed, all those guys, real flash fighters,” said Barnett.
While Barnett is not looking past Attah, he is confident in his ability and wants to step in against the upper-echelon of the Super Lightweight division as soon as possible.
“I have no picks, I’ll fight anybody. All the top guys, you say a name and I’ll fight him,” said Barnett.
Only time will tell if Barnett has truly learned from his run ins with the law, the untimely shooting and his missteps in the ring. One thing is for sure, we will be watching Barnett’s captivating story to the very end.
Saturday nights fight card will stream live on Go Fight Live starting at 6:00 pm, EST.
