Veteran trainer eagerly returns

After being away for six years, Kevin Barry didn’t want to get back into training world-class boxers full time.

The veteran trainer from New Zealand was happy living in Las Vegas and dabbling in Muay Thai and mixed martial arts along with boxing. It was fun, and there was no pressure. But when Beibut Shumenov kept bugging him to train him, Barry couldn’t say no.

Barry, a former Olympic boxer who had trained heavyweight title contender David Tua for 12 years, never got to train a world champion. It’s the one thing missing on his resume.

But on Friday, Barry gets a chance to cross that off his boxing bucket list when Shumenov fights WBA light heavyweight champion Gabriel Campillo at the Hard Rock Hotel.

“It would mean everything to me,” Barry said. “I wasn’t sure if this was the right thing to do. I didn’t have a lot of hope we would bond. But we quickly connected, and working with Beibut has re-energized me. I’m excited to come to the gym every day, and I love the three hours we spend together.”

Shumenov, 26, competed in the 2004 Olympics, but the Kazakhstan native has had only nine pro fights, one of them a close loss by decision to Campillo on Aug. 15.

Barry is convinced the best has yet to come for the 6-foot-2-inch Shumenov.

“He’s a real physical specimen,” Barry said. “He trains with focus and intensity. He listens in the gym and wants to get better. For me, it’s an invigorating challenge.”

• NAMAUU’S REVENGE — Henry Namauu had demons to exorcise against Erick Vega.

Namauu, a former UNLV boxer, avenged his debut loss from Feb. 9, 2008, to Vega, posting a unanimous decision Friday at The Orleans in their six-round cruiserweight bout that headlined a Crown Boxing card.

“His people set me up,” Namauu (5-3) said of Vega (8-5). “When I fought him the first time, they said he was 2-4. But he was really 4-2, and he had been to the Pan Am Games. He could have ended my career before it started.

“It’s been haunting me ever since he knocked me out. Now I feel at ease. I can finally let this go.”

• LENK’S RETURN SUCCESSFUL — Las Vegas junior welterweight Anthony Lenk, who hadn’t fought in nine months, posted a six-round unanimous decision over Dusten Guillemin on Jan. 16 at the Hard Rock Hotel.

Lenk (6-1) broke his right hand April 17 in Primm in a six-round loss to Jesse Vargas. He showed no ill effects from the injury against Guillemin, finishing ahead on the scorecards 59-55, 59-55 and 58-56.

“I wanted to get some of the ring rust out of me, but it was difficult for me to box because he was so awkward,” Lenk said. “I spent most of the time chasing him. But it was good to go six rounds, and I felt good. The hand was fine. No problems.”

Looking to stay busy, Lenk is expected to be on Top Rank’s Feb. 13 card at the Las Vegas Hilton. Interim WBA super flyweight champion Nonito Donaire will headline the card.

“I have to make up for lost time,” Lenk said. “I only fought once last year, and I fell behind in my development. I need to catch up.”

• GORRES RELEASED — Bantamweight Z Gorres was released from University Medical Center on Jan. 15, two months after he was admitted after suffering a subdural hematoma in his 10-round victory Nov. 13 at the House of Blues.

Gorres, from the Philippines, still has some paralysis from the incident. He remains in Las Vegas, doing his rehabilitation under the guidance of local physician Dr. Benito Calderon.

Contact reporter Steve Carp at scarp@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2913.