Barrett: “From now on, I win every fight by knockout”

Wayne Barrett says the next time we see him in the GLORY ring, judges will not be needed.

The middleweight prospect lost a close decision to Joe Schilling (18-6, 11 KO’s) in the semi-finals of the LAST MAN STANDING tournament last weekend, the first of his fledgling professional career.

Barrett, now 5-1 with 4 KO’s, now returns to his New York base looking to sharpen things up and ensure that his fate is never left up to anyone else.

“I thought the fight was very close and that I had the third round, but it was my fault for leaving it in the judges’ hands,” he says.

“Now I go back to the gym and I promise, I vow, that I won’t step in the ring again until I am sure I am going to knock everybody out.

“I am pretty hard on myself, I am my own worst critic. When I decided to turn pro I decided I was going to go undefeated. Obviously there is another plan for me.”

Schilling came into the semi-finals via a four-round war with Simon Marcus (39-1-1, 24 KO’s), a fight which is already being tipped as a Fight of the Year nominee for when 2014 closes out.

Barrett’s quarter-final fight went into the third round and was a more tactical affair than Schilling/Marcus, though it also ended with a big knockout when Barrett flattened Bogdan Stoica (38-6, 29 KO’s) as the Romanian attempted a flying knee.

Seeing Schilling’s fight with Marcus made Barrett take a guess on the approach the Los Angeles man would take. He turned out to be wrong.

“He had a war with Simon Marcus and he was pretty battered up. I thought he was going to try and rush me and clinch but instead he moved around a lot and that kind of confused it,” he shrugs.

As it happens, Schilling has also said that Barrett’s decision not to put the pressure on him was also confusing. He was particularly thrown off by Barrett’s new technique, a ‘superman punch’ off the ropes which somewhat echoes UFC lightweight Anthony Pettis’ ‘Showtime Kick’.

“I am not flamboyant as some but I have a sense of humor and I like to smile. Then when it’s time to fight I am all business. At the same time I am trying new things, like the superman punch off the ropes, trying to be daring and different,” says Barrett.

Aside from his vow to knock all future opponents out, the New Yorker also has another mission on his mind. Barrett wants kickboxing to become the biggest thing in combat sports, carving out its own place in a US market dominated by boxing and Mixed Martial Arts.

“The only thing I can do is play my part and if I can play even the smallest role, I don’t care what it is, I am on board,” he says.

"Its an honor to be here. I am a young fighter but if you see me out there, I can fight. I am only getting better and I am improving every time. Next time you see me out there I am going to knock him out, whoever it is.”