Ricky Burns The Pride of Scotland Returns to the Ring Saturday Night!

By Donald “Braveheart” Stewart

On Saturday night, Scotland’s legendary, and former three weight world champion, Ricky Burns, 41-6-1, 14 KO’s, shall drag his body into a public boxing ring once again and try to beat the man standing in front of him.

There shall be hundreds, if not thousands, of Scots who shall have made the short 3 hour drive down to Manchester to cheer him on. They go in expectation rather than in hope as they believe. They believe in men of standing, getting their just rewards. They believe that nice guys do actually win, and they believe that Burns has it in him to defy the odds, once again.

Standing in a ring which is in a venue that has been shut since the inexplicable horror of the terrorist incident that targeted an Ariane Grande concert, boxing shall have the honor of re-opening a palace of fun with a fight that has us all in a quandary.
In the opposite corner shall be another quiet man in the shape of another former world champion, Manchester’s own, Anthony Crolla, 31-6-3, 13 KO’s.

The Manchester crowd shall be in fine voice and up for this contest. They shall be keen to see what their guy brings to the table and want to celebrate an historic win for their man as he brings himself back from the brink of two world level defeats against Jorge Linares and becomes once again relevant on the world stage.
Many are unable to predict this fight and for most they recognize the phenomenal stamina of Burns and the ring craft of Crolla whilst we believe that Burns punches harder than Crolla.

You would think that this would make Burns a firm favorite. The man who can last the distance against a guy who will be unable to get his opponent out the ring early. But not a bit of it.
This fight represents the dignity of a sport that is desperate for a bit of dignity right now.

I have little doubt that at the end of this fight there shall be few celebrating the defeat of the other. Both Crolla and Burns have managed to show how skill, along with determination and resilience has brought both such amazing achievement. They both recognize their own flaws. They both are aware that they have not got the best skills in the world or in their weight division, but what they have is heart.

Of that they both have abundance and as they make their ring walks on Saturday night those hearts shall be pumping and on the sleeves of all the people in the arena there to watch the fight.

For each of them, this is a late career, crossroads fight. Whilst they are careful to keep away from predictions of what would actually happen if one of them loses as they neither want to say they should retire.

No matter what one wins, they are likely to be mentioned again as possible world title level fighters. The idea that they shall instantly be in the mix for an immediate world title shot is, at best, fanciful.

Luke Campbell has publicly suggested he would take on the winner and give British fight fans what they want – should they want it and should Jorge Linares be unwilling to face a rematch – and then the winner of THAT Campbell fight could be in line for a world title shot. This makes perfect sense as the fight on Saturday is not an eliminator and given the heath of the lightweight division nor should it be.

Despite the fact that both Crolla and Burns are recent world champions, their status is not guaranteed after Burns loss to Indongo and Crolla’s two losses to Linares. These were tough contests with the two against Linares particularly brutal. Against Indongo, Burns was just unable to get going as he struggles with southpaws.

The loser can still look towards the UK and European markets for big fights and perhaps even be seen, unkindly though it would appear, as gateway fighters for the up and coming young guns. To have a Crolla or Burns fight on your resume could be a tremendous way to show that you earned your way to the top; problem is it tends to sully the resume of the elder fighter.

As a proud Scot, I am in Burns’ camp but am also a realist.

Burns has had a cracking career. Skilfully managed, he is a three weight world champion who has been helped by the right fights at the right times. Now, he needs an arm round his shoulders and a word in his shell like. The time, at 34, and after such a massive contribution to the sport, to find where that hook is upon which to hang the gloves is upon him.

To do so after the Crolla fight would cement his legacy for all of us Scottish fight fans in ways that will live long in our hearts. He has done what no other Scot has ever done and for that we are immensely proud, if not bursting with admiration.

A three weight world champion, Scotland’s first. What else is there to do?

The obvious thing is chase the big money fight that would secure his family’s future. That has been elusive and after bankruptcy which followed a strange court case with former promoter, Frank Warren, we have had some unbelievable nights in Glasgow when his elite level credentials were put on the line and found wanting and also found to be creditable; for every Raymondo Beltran is a Terence Crawford or a Kevin Mitchell.

Burns does not duck and he never backs down. If he wins on Saturday I would love him to say, you know what, it is time to go; I do not want him to end up a circus show. I do favor Crolla in my head but for one last night, please Ricky, come home safe and with a win…

Then maybe a world title shot… Oh you see what he does to us!

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