Rick Burns boxing news
Scotland’s two-weight world champion Ricky Burns (36-2) returns to the ring tonight to face the tough Mexican native Raymundo Beltran (28-6). Coatbridge fighter Burns will be making the third defence of his WBO lightweight title in front of an army of hometown fight fans at the Scottish Exhibition Centre, Glasgow.
Ricky will be eager to put on an impressive display after admitting he was far from his usual best in his win against the awkward Jose Gonzalez last time out.
That’s a big IF because Burns had chances to fight Adrien Broner two occasions and he chose not to. Crawford is at least as dangerous as Broner, if not more, and the way that Burns looked in his last fight against Jose Gonzalez last month, it would be a really tough fight for Burns against Crawford.
Beltran’s a good fighter, but he’s also been beat twice in the last couple of years in defeats against Luis Ramos Jr. and Sharif Bogere. Let’s not get it twisted about what this fight is all about. Burn’s promoter is clearly putting him in with a guy that they feel he can beat and won’t be much of a threat to beat him.
WBO lightweight champion Ricky Burns (36-2, 11 KO’s) got his difficult title defense against Jose Gonzalez out of the way in beating him by a 9th round TKO last May, and now Burns will be making what should be a lot easier title defense against #8 WBO 8 Raymundo Beltran (28-6, 17 KO’s) on September 7th in Glasgow, Scotland.
If Burns beats Beltran, he will likely face the winner of the Gavin Rees vs. Anthony Crolla fight next. That’ll give Burns two relatively easy fights back to back before he has to take on someone dangerous like Sergio Thompson, Omar Figueroa or Terrence Crawford. That’s where Burns will really be tested.
Beltran is a good fighter, but he’s already lost at the top rungs of the division recently in defeats against Luis Ramos Jr. and Sharif Bogere. Beltran did defeat Hank Lundy and Ji-Hoon Kim recently, but those guys aren’t in the same class as Burns and it’s not the same thing.
Promoter Eddie Hearn is interested in matching his very lucky fighter WBO lightweight champion Ricky Burns (36-2, 11 KO’s) against former lightweight contender Gavin Rees (37-2-1, 18 KO’s) this coming September. Rees is coming off of a 5th round knockout loss to WBC lightweight champion Adrien Broner last February in a fight where Rees looked terrible in before getting knocked out.
Burns got lucky last Saturday night in beating Jose Gonzalez (22-1, 17 KO’s) in a 9th round stoppage when Gonzalez quit on his stool after the 9th round. Gonzalez said after the fight he didn’t know that he had such a wide lead and that if he knew that he wouldn’t have quit.
Photo: Vazquez with manager and trainer Javier Capetillo holding a signed bout agreement
By Jeff Sorby: Contrary to the news that came out yesterday about IBF lightweight champion Miguel Vazquez saying a fight between him and WBO lightweight champion Ricky Burns isn’t a done deal for March 16th, Frank Warren Promotions, the promoter for Burns, is saying the fight is going to take place on that date.
East Side Boxing has obtained an a signed letter of acceptance from Vazquez’s promoter Juan Carlos Torres of Zanfer Promotions that confirms the agreement for the Burns-Vazquez fight on March 16th. The acceptance was signed on January 10th, 2013.
East Side Boxing also obtained an e-mail from Torres to Frank Warren Promotions matchmaker Dean Powell on January 10th that confirms the fight four days prior to Mr. Warren announcement of the fight in a press conference in London.
By Michael Collins: Promoter Eddie Hearn says he’s seen the light after watching WBC lightweight champion Adrien Broner (26-0, 22 KO’s) obliterate his fighter Gavin Rees (37-2-1, 18 KO’s) in a methodical fashion last Saturday night. Hearn had doubts about Broner beforehand, but afterwards he realized what huge talent Broner is.
Hearn doesn’t see anyone in the lightweight division that has the talent to beat Broner right now, not even WBO lightweight champion Ricky Burns.
Broner was expected to be too much for Welshman Gavin Rees last night in Atlantic City, and the formbook was obeyed (despite the sheer heart and guts “The Rock” showed!). But how special a talent does the unbeaten 23-year-old look! His hand speed is amazing, Broner’s power and accuracy aren’t far behind and, to make things worse for any of his opponents, Broner has such a varied number of wicked punches in his arsenal – left hooks, right hooks, uppercuts from either hand, particularly his right, right hand leads and body shots. Broner seems to have it all.
What this latest Cincinnati Cobra has in his future is one huge selection of would-be super-fights!
A Burns showdown would be a major attraction, especially if Burns can add the IBF belt to his WBO by defeating Mexican string been Miguel Vazquez next month. But there is precious little else for Broner at the weight – unless Cuban sensation Yuriorkis Gamboa can relocate his top form and persuade his promoters to land him the fight. The really big match-ups, the testing fights that promise to bring out the best in the “Floyd Mayweather Junior clone” will come at 140 and maybe beyond.
By Jeff Sorby: WBC lightweight champion Adrien Broner (25-0, 21 KO’s) is ready to give up on the 135 lb. division if he can’t get a unification bout with WBO lightweight champion Ricky Burns (35-2, 10 KO’s) in the near future.
Broner, who has what amounts to be as a stay busy title defense tonight against the over-matched 5’4” Gavin Rees (37-1-1, 18 KO’s), wants to face Burns to prove to boxing fans that he’s the best fighter in the division. However, Burns hasn’t been helpful in making the fight, and has twice gone in the other direction when Broner has tried to get him in the ring.