IBF junior lightweight champion Robbie “Bomber” Peden will face WBC junior lightweight champion Marco Antonio Barrera in a world title unification clash on September 17. While a venue has not yet been confirmed, the two will face off in a bout to be co-promoted by Golden Boy Promotions and Goossen-Tutor Promotions and televised in the USA by HBO.
“I think people will be surprised with the performance I am going to put in,” Peden told SecondsOut. “I am a lot better fighter than what my record has shown. It is just a matter of training properly and performing on the night.”
31 year-old Peden 25-2 (14) won the IBF title on February 23 in Melbourne when he stopped American Nate Campbell by 8th round TKO. In his only other appearance on the HBO network Peden lost to Juan Manuel Marquez in March 2002.
“My last time on HBO with the Marquez fight, I didn’t put in a real good performance and that sort of sticks in peoples minds,” he said. “But I’ll be ready come fight time. I know him and he knows me. We have sparred many rounds. He is a great guy but this is business. He is definitely beatable, everyone is. May the best man win, but I am pretty confident that I will get the nod after the fight.”
When Barrera was preparing for his second fight with Erik Morales, he was sparring with Peden in February 2002 at Big Bear, California and the Mexican sustained a broken rib causing the fight to be postponed three months. Peden says Barrera will have not forgotten about it. “I think he wants a little bit of pay back from when I hurt his rib,” he smiled. “He is a little devil inside the ring.”
After winning the IBF title and a good holiday in Australia, Peden is back living in St Louis. Since his return many people have greeted him with raised eyebrows after he beat the favoured Campbell.
“People were very surprised,” he admitted. “Nate has actually told a few people that he was winning the fight. He fought a kid on ESPN last week and he got beaten. He looks like a broken man. Dan Goossen hasn’t released the tape of our rematch yet, but when they see it, people will see that he is full of shit.”
31 year-old Barrera 60-4 (42) won the WBC title in his thrilling third battle with arch-rival Eric Morales on November 27 and then defended it successfully against Mzonke Fana on April 9. Peden knows how important a win over the Mexican legend will be for his career.
“It will keep my foot in the door,” he smiles. “But seriously, I will have two of the world title belts and I want all of them. I want the IBF, WBC, WBA, WBO and the Ring Magazine belts. I want them all. When I won the IBF title, I said it is just the beginning and I knew it would open doors for me. I was hoping that it would get me these major fights with Barrera, (Erik) Morales, (Manny) Pacquiao and Marquez.”
Peden will set up camp with trainer Roger Bloodworth in St Petersburg, Florida from July 8. While he now has the IBF belt around his waist, the two-time Australian Olympian says his life hasn’t changed much at all.
“A lot of people look up to you and make a big deal about it,” he said. “It is a belt and I am very proud of it, but it hasn’t changed me as a person. I’m a humble type of guy and I put what I have got on the table and fight my heart out. If it is not good enough, it is not good enough, as long as I am happy with my performance.”
Always appreciative of the people around him, Peden makes a point of thanking his promoter Dan Goossen from Goossen-Tutor Promotions.
“Dan Goossen is a legend,” he said. “He told me to hold on and the big fight would come along. We were looking at Manny Pacquiao for a minute. Erik Morales was a possibility and then Dan came up with the Barrera fight. He is a very smooth operator. He promised me the world title fight in Australia and he delivered. Now he has got me the big fight in the USA just as he said he would.”
Paul Upham Contributing Editor
