Iran Barkley seemed down for the count.
The former world middleweight champion boxer was jobless, homeless and almost without hope, The Post first revealed 20 months ago.
But the pugilist has fought back and now is on the brink of being awarded something more valuable than any of the five gem-studded belts he won during an illustrious, two-decade ring career: one of professional boxing’s first pensions.
“It’s a great thing that’s been long overdue,” he told The Post. “It feels good that with everything I have been going through that this comes as a God blessing for me.”
Barkley, who fought to a 43-19-1 record, was on hand in Las Vegas last night as the World Boxing Council unveiled the first-ever professional boxing pension fund.
“A lot of the older fighters have been waiting for this to happen,” Barkley said.
“This shows that boxing is taking the right steps.”
A committee will ultimately decide the first recipients of the pension, but Barkley has been told he will be among the initial group.
There are “at the very least” 10,000 retired fighters across the United States, said Jacquie Richardson, executive director of the Retired Boxers Foundation.
“The WBC is the only one of the big organizations that has been tremendously helpful with retired fighters,” Richardson told The Post.