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A Tribute to Ricky Burns

Ricky BurnsBy Donald “Braveheart” Stewart

Ricky Burns, Ricky Burns, Ricky, Ricky, Burns, nananananananaa Ricky Burns, Ricky Burns, Ricky, Ricky, Burns…

And so, as that sound filled the arena with 8,500 Scots on one night in April 2017, the expectations were high and the crowd were equally high on that delirium. We had hopes, Ricky Burns, 41-6-1, 14 KO’s, had dreams and all were shattered by the end of a long night. He was as sanguine and honest afterwards as he ever is. Ever the humble he explained, “the better man won.” It was a mantra that was heard throughout his interviews – even before he left the ring.

This was no devastatingly painful loss as it had been to Dejan Zlaticanin. After the he hid in tears in his dressing room, leaving promoter, Eddie Hearn to come out and be interviewed in a back stairway to explain just how awful Ricky felt. This time around, the man from Coatbridge squared his shoulders and faced the crowd and media with his head up and those eyes dimmed yet still sparkling.

e all felt it though.

Ricky Burns has taken us up to the very top of the mountains and we have fallen off it along with him. Burns is one of us and yet still towers above us.

If you were to walk through the streets of Glasgow with Burns you would understand what it is like to be in the presence of an icon. Any small country in the world who has a world champion knows how important they become. Scotland has produced a few in its time and what has marked out Burns from the rest has been his ordinariness.

He is no Mayweather, JR.; he is no Wilder; and he is no Tyson.

There were many who thought he was however a very lucky man. Through careful planning he had managed to ascend the boxing ladder, then after he slipped off it there had been more careful planning to get him back up for a second time.
When he slipped back off it another time, there had been careful… you get the picture.

Burns was not the name on the lips of the elite but he was pure box office in the UK.

Burns was a man of the people and a man created by the people. The boxing fraternity did not hide their admiration of his achievements but mutter their honest appraisal of his abilities; Burns was punching above his abilities.

As a fragile world champion, he was likely to fall short at some point they reckoned and Julius Indongo, 22-0, 11 KO’s, was a highly dangerous opponent. They whispered that Burns was not to be admired for taking on a foolhardy fight and this was one boxing match, they suggested, he did not need to take. This was a misstep in the careful planning of his career.

They have been proven partly correct. One of the judges gave all the rounds to Indongo with a 120 – 108 score card. There was a 116-112 card too but that was as overly generous to Burns as the 120 card was unarguably accurate. The fact was that Ricky did not clearly win a round. Most of us thought that. We honestly struggled to see how a non-concussive puncher like Burns, after losing the first 6 rounds had any hope of pulling it back.

Like in his fight with Terence Crawford, he struggled with the southpaw stance and ended up taking flurries of punishment. With Crawford, he got pinned on the ropes, with Indongo he just got caught in the headlights in the middle of the ring.

What now?

What Ricky Burns deserves is a massive pay day. He has given so much and lost so much to the sport that he is now sitting with little hope of managing that surely? Well this is boxing.

A big domestic payday was supposed to be a showdown with Anthony Crolla. Crolla was going to get up to light welterweight for the fight but with no title on the line Crolla shall stay at lightweight.

Burns will not be going back down to lightweight and there had been the suggestion of a US showdown with Adrien Broner at light welterweight had he got past Indongo; that appears to be unlikely too.

Though remember this IS boxing…

Eddie Hearn, promoter and Tony Sims, trainer have already carefully mapped the way forward. Look for a credible fight at 140 lbs and then make a 14th world title scrap. That’s right a 14th world title fight. It makes Burns sound like a veteran – he is! 17 years in the ring professionally will take its toll on his body, mind and spirit though he has vowed to fight on – and he shall.

I think we could see another 1 or 2 years more of the Rickster. At what level will depend on what Eddie Hearn pulls out the bag for him. Hearn has one of those clowns’ bags that is full of tricks so I reckon an American fight in early 2018 for a world title, a defense in Glasgow and then a defeat before retiring?

If I am right, it might well be a first but let’s be very clear.

Ricky Burns, Scotland’s first 3 weight world champion, right here, right now, is a true Scottish icon. His personality, humility and dignity makes him that – his titles merely underlined the man.

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