By Scott Gilfoid: WBO lightweight interim champion Ricky Burns (33-2, 9 KOs) will get back in the ring on March 10th in a fight scheduled to take place at the Braehead Arena in Glascow, Scotland. There still isn’t an opponent slated for the fight. Kevin Mitchell and Anthony Crolla have been mentioned as possible opponents, but it’s highly doubtful that either of them will take this fight.

My guess is someone near the bottom of the top 15. Burns just finished facing his best opponent in ages when he took on and beat Michael Katsidis by a 12 unanimous decision last month on November 5th. If history is any guide for Burns, he’ll likely follow this up with a few softies for a year or so.

He defeated Roman Martinez for the WBO super featherweight title last year in September 2010, but then followed that fight up with three consecutive less than impressive opponents in Andrea Evensen, Joseph Laryea and Nicky Cook. While this was going on the boxing world was practically on their knees begging Burns to step it up a couple of levels and face unbeaten contender Adrian Broner.

Finally when it looked as if Burns was going to do just that when the talk came around for the fight to be set in the United States, Burns decided he couldn’t make weight anymore and moved up a division rather than try and cut the weight to fight Broner. Some boxing fans say Burns ducked the fight and dodged a sure knockout loss to Broner. But it really doesn’t buy Burns a whole heck of a lot of time him moving up in weight like this because Broner is already talking about moving up to lightweight and going after the top fighters at that weight. Hopefully, Burns doesn’t suddenly have problems making lightweight and have to move up and again when Broner seemingly has him cornered.

I thought Burns looked awful against Katsidis and had him losing that fight. I’m neutral, though, so I’m not someone that’s coming with a torch in my window for Burns like a lot boxing fan. I saw what I saw from that fight. A tall, slightly thick in the middle Burns, getting outworked by Katsidis the entire fight, but getting huge applause by the UK fans for the rare shots that he was landing. Had this fight taken place in a neutral venue, I think Katsidis would have won it.