Zelfa Barrett needs world title to avoid ‘underachieving’

Zelfa Barrett has placed himself under increased pressure entering Saturday’s junior-lightweight contest with James “Jazza” Dickens by insisting that he will have “underachieved” if he retires without winning a world title.

The 31 year old and Dickens have been matched in an appealing fight at Manchester’s Co-op Live Arena, on the undercard of Jack Catterall-Arnold Barboza Jnr.

Barrett previously held the European title but then lost his fight in 2022 for the vacant IBF title when Shavkatdzhon Rakhimov stopped him in the ninth round. 

He has since won his past three fights – the most recent of those came in April 2024 against Jordan Gill – and he said: “Being a world champion – that’s the end goal. I’ve underachieved if I’ve not become a world champion. 

“Being English champion, Commonwealth champion, European champion – some fighters don’t ever achieve this. Their limit is the British. They’ll get to the European level and get beat. I boxed for the world title. This is my journey and you’re just a fighter on it, in the way of where I need to be.

“Boxing is about how good you are, not how many tickets you can sell. When you’re a world-class fighter, it’s about how good you are. I’m not a benchwarmer. I’m not a [soccer player] Ole Gunnar Solskjær, where you come on in injury time and you score. I’m starting. I’m [fellow soccer player] Thierry Henry. I’m [Didier Drogba. I’m that guy. In my weight, at 130lbs, the best of me beats anyone.

“I just need the opportunity. That’s all I need. I’ve just got to keep winning. I’ve got to brutally win, whether it’s a boxing lesson or a knockout. When it gets this close to the fight, my fuse gets shorter and I’m more locked in and more focused. I don’t really laugh. It’s serious – this is my life. As my uncle Pat would say, ‘It’s as serious as a heart attack’. I’m just focused.”

Pat Barrett is not only Zelfa Barrett’s trainer, he won British and European titles as a professional, and ahead of the fight with the 33-year-old Dickens he said: “Zelfa has been boxing as a pro for over a decade. Most fighters you see come and go after so long. But for 10 years strong he’s still going strong. He’s still waiting to get this world-title fight. It’s way overdue.

“Jazza is not to be overlooked. We’re definitely not overlooking him. It’s a really good fight for Zelfa. It’s a fight that is keeping him up there, rather than thinking he’s just got some opponent. Jazza isn’t just an opponent. I just know what we do going into something 150 per cent – physically and mentally ready – that will take us to where we want to go.”

That the Barretts are from Manchester and Dickens is from nearby Liverpool means Saturday’s fight represents a local rivalry. 

In the same weight division and on the same promotion Michael Gomez Jnr, also of Manchester, and the champion Reece Bellotti, of Watford, contest the British and Commonwealth titles.