Saquon Barkley isn’t the first member of his family to conquer a sport (Image: AP)
Saquon Barkley broke numerous records as he drove the to success by beating the – but he isn’t the first in his family to achieve sporting greatness. In fact, the renowned running back wasn’t even born when his great-uncle Iran held any of his three world titles, nor when his father, Alibay, became a Golden Gloves champion.
In another life, he might have followed the family tradition and used his talents in rather than chase his dream. It was in 1988 that Iran ‘The Blade’ Barkley defeated legend Thomas Hearns to become WBC middleweight champion.
He later overcame Darrin van Horn in January 1992 to secure the IBF super middleweight belt, then two months later triumphed over Hearns again to claim the WBA light heavyweight title. Iran lost his WBC belt to boxing legend Roberto Duran in February 1989 and also lost a title bout with British icon Nigel Benn the following year.
Like his great-uncle, Saquon was born in New York but moved with his family to Pennsylvania as a child. And that move likely played a crucial part in his shift towards the gridiron and away from the ring.
“Boxing was forced onto me,” the first-time Super Bowl winner told (via ). “I truly, truly, truly believe that if I didn’t fall in love with football, I would’ve ended up being a boxer.”
Philadelphia’s No26, Barkley, has certainly made his mark in his first season as an Eagle. He shattered records for rushing yards (2,504) and overall scrimmage yards (2,857) in a single NFL season, including both the regular season and playoffs.
Iran Barkley won three world titles in his time and fought some of the biggest names in boxing (Image: Getty)
He also joined Denver Broncos legend Terrell Davis by becoming only the second player in NFL history to rush for 2,000 yards and win the Super Bowl in the same season. Despite the current NFL landscape favouring passing, the Eagles demonstrated that the traditional approach of running the football still holds huge value.
Even though Barkley didn’t score in New Orleans on Sunday, his contribution of 97 scrimmage yards was crucial in the face of Patrick Mahomes’ downfall, which prevented the Chiefs from securing an unprecedented third consecutive Super Bowl victory. Barkley, who chose not to follow a path into boxing, has shown the same key traits required in the rin: remarkable tenacity, endurance, and an extraordinary ability to weather punishment.
His contributions were undoubtedly instrumental in Philadelphia’s journey to the Vince Lombardi Trophy. And it seems Barkley’s heritage always meant he was destined for greatness.