Eddie Hearn, Matchroom Boxing, Sky Sports and all of their marketing teams are building up Ricky Burns against Julius Indongo as a real danger fight, an incredible risk for the Scot to take in his career in what will be an edge of your seat pick’em fight…I’m not so convinced, myself.
I take nothing away from the Namibian as he is the IBF and IBO World super-lightweight champion with a perfect record of 21-0. Kudos to him but is he even on the same level as Ricky Burns? A triple World champion that has shared the ring with Alex Arthur, Michael Gomez, Michael Katsidis, Kevin Mitchell, Terence Crawford, Omar Figueroa Jr…are there any names of this quality on his opponent’s record?
Is this unification bout in Glasgow a huge risk like they are labelling it to be? I don’t think so, unless I’m missing something here!
Burns, 33, from Coatbridge, Lanarkshire, is already into the 16th year of his 47-fight career and is the only Scot to have won world titles in three weight divisions, having previously held a world super-featherweight title from 2010 to 2011, and a lightweight title from 2012 to 2014.
Only two other British boxers have achieved this huge feat – the incredible Duke McKenzie and the legendary Bob Fitzsimmons.
This time out, Burns carries the World Boxing Association super-lightweight crown into the ring next Saturday at the SSE Hydro.
Burns claimed the vacant WBA crown last summer against Italian Michele Di Rocco with an eighth-round stoppage, and later defended the strap against Belarusian Kiryl Relikh in October.
Indongo, a long, rangy southpaw, travels to Glasgow for the first time, currently unbeaten in 21 fights with 11 knockout wins to his name.
The Namibian, who represented his homeland at the 2008 Olympic Games, took his first world title in his only performance outside Africa by defeating Eduard Troyanovsky in Russia with a sensational first-round knockout last December with less than a minute on the clock.
Burns said himself that he jumped at the chance to fight Indongo when the fight was presented to him and I’m not surprised after watching clips of the African fighting in front of a handful of people in small halls in his homeland.
If Burns uses his boxing ability, vast experience and skill then he should win comfortably. His opponent can hit but those long-range left hands should not work against someone of Rickster’s quality and schooling.
Promoter Eddie Hearn believes that a Burns victory would immediately open up the opportunity of a rematch with Terence Crawford, who defeated the Scotsman at lightweight in 2014. The American’s promoter, Bob Arum, has already been in talks for a potential showdown, this time at 140lb.
I believe this fight should be a routine win for Team Burns with one eye on that lucrative rematch with Crawford.
Because of the difference in levels, I think Burns could win by late stoppage or it will be a wide points win.