Iran Barkley Recovering From Spleen Surgery, Long-Term Prognosis Good
By Robert Brizel, Head Real Combat Media Boxing Correspondent
*Photo Credit: Iran Barkley’s Facebook
New York, NY (September 24th, 2026)– Former World Middleweight, Super Middleweight, and Light Heavyweight champion Iran ‘The Blade’ Barkley, 66, remains hospitalized at Columbia Presbyterian Hospital in New York City following surgery to remove his spleen after being diagnosed with spleen cancer. The immediate survival rate for spleen removal surgery, also called a splenectomy, is very high, with a procedural success rate reaching up to 98 percent, and a short-term surgical mortality rate typically under one percent for elective laparoscopic procedures.
The longtime caregiver of Barkley, John Reitz, reports Barkley is awake, walking around, and in good spirits with a very good overall prognosis for present and future recovery. Barkley is scheduled to start chemotherapy treatments shortly post-surgery, along with a potential new cancer drug to prevent recurrence.
Barkley, 43-19-1 with 27 knockouts, Bronx, New York, also won the vacant lesser-known WBB version of the World Heavyweight title when he stopped the late former World Heavyweight champion Gerrie Coetzee in the tenth round in June 1997. His last six comeback attempts in the heavyweight division were unsuccessful, including losing a 10-round unanimous decision to the late former world heavyweight champion Trevor Berbick. Barkley’s pro career began as a middleweight when he stopped Larry Jordan in the second round at Sands Casino Hotel in Atlantic City, New Jersey, in December 1982. Barkley’s 15-year ring career ended officially in July 1999 when he was stopped in the sixth round by Keith McKnight in July 1999 at Lady Luck Casino in Tula, Mississippi. Unofficially, Barkley won an unsanctioned bout in Venezuela in his last ring appearance. His last six comeback attempts were unsuccessful.
Barkley was noteworthy for defeating Thomas Hearns twice, though he lost higher-stakes major bouts to Henry Maske, Roberto Duran, Nigel Benn, Michael Nunn, Sumbu Kalambay and James Toney. In retirement, Barkley, a friend of this reporter, once traveled with Real Combat Media to attend his first-ever MMA event in Connecticut.
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