Banshee Barry bids to take her first belt

Jessica Barry (right)…faces champ Beccy Ferguson for Midlands title

AFTER five contests, the time to step up to title class has come for Jess “Celtic Banshee” Barry.

At Sports Connexions in her home city of Coventry, on June 8 Barry will attempt to take the Midlands super-featherweight belt from Beccy Ferguson.

The 29-year-old will move from six rounds to the 10 round championship course.

And she’ll give away experience to Stoke’s Ferguson, a gritty operator who has travelled that marathon distance three times and had 16 contests.

Ferguson, aged 33, has lost 10 of those, but appears to have turned a corner after an indifferent start to her career.

The vast improvements made were underlined in March when, at the home of Stoke City, the southpaw widely outpointed Amy Greatorex for the Midlands title.

Beccy had failed in two previous championship challenges.

For Barry, the professional path has not been smooth. Her progress has been stalled by cancelled contests and she’s already tasted defeat.

“There have been times,” she admitted, “where I’ve thought, this isn’t going anywhere. I have a good career, I work for SSE Energy Solutions in Birmingham. They are very supportive, but I have had to step back from that to pursue my boxing career.

“It is a short lived career and you have to make the most of it. Things happen for a reason and I’ve always believed the chance will come.”

That chance emerges next month against a tough opponent. Barry has never sparred Ferguson, but knows what to expect.

“I know quite a lot about her,” said Jess. “A lot of the girls I’ve sparred with have either sparred or fought her. She is a tough fighter to do what she’s done and she deserves to be champion.

“She’s had plenty of experience in 10 rounders, which is one thing she has on me. But 10 rounders are where I want to be and I’ve trained for the distance, I’m not worried about it.

“It will be a tough fight, a very good fight.”

Barry began her career under the wing of Leamington trainer Derek Fitzpatrick, but is now based at Birmingham’s Eastside gym and benefitting from the top sparring there.

She and Derek remain close and he’ll be in her corner on June 8.

Jess insists she is a much improved fighter.

“Because I’ve been sparring good people you don’t always notice the improvements,” she said. “It’s when I spar girls I sparred years ago and it was neck-to-neck that it shows. Before, I would’ve never have relied on my boxing ability. Now I feel my boxing ability has really improved.

“Jon (manager Jon Pegg) has the experience with fighters with my style – I’m very come forward. Being in the gym next to people who are all in big fights, that gives me so much.”

For this one, Jess has regularly sparred prospect Tori-Ellis Willetts and shared the ring with Nyall Berry, soon to fight for a version of the European super-bantam crown.

Win, lose or draw, Barry insists her championship future lies at the weight below – feather.

But she’s certainly not looking beyond Beccy Ferguson. And because of the bad luck that has dogged her career, Jess may only believe that fight’s definitely taking place when she sees the champ making her ring walk.