By Scott Gilfoid: The World Boxing Organization ordered WBO lightweight champion Ricky Burns (36-2-1, 11 KO’s) and his promoter Eddie Hearn from Matchroom Sport to begin negotiations with #1 WBO Terrence Crawford (22-0, 16 KO’s) and his promoter Top Rank for a fight. However, Hearn is going to try and get permission from the WBO to let Burns steer around Crawford and instead either face #3 WBO Raymundo Beltran in a rematch or fight a unification bout against either Miguel Vazquez or Richard Abril.
Hearn said via Sky Sports “I have asked the WBO for a voluntary defense against Beltran in February. I am also in talks with Miguel Vazquez and Richard Abril regarding a unification bout that would supercede a mandatory defense…The fight everyone wants to see is Beltran and it is the right fight for boxing.”
By far, Crawford is the toughest of any of those match-ups for Burns, and it looks like Hearn is looking to go for the safer path. I saw this move of Hearn coming a mile away with him trying to get permission from the WBO to bypass the Crawford fight, which is pretty much an unwinnable fight for Burns, or having Burns fight a unification bout against Abril or Vazquez. The one option that Hearn didn’t mention is having Burns vacate his WBO title rather than face Crawford.
I see that as the last move that Hearn will make if he can’t get permission from the WBO to steer Burns around Crawford. If the WBO says no to Hearn’s request for the rematch against Beltran or a unification fight against Abril or Vazquez, then I see Burns vacating the WBO title and then moving up to the light welterweight division or having Hearn set up a title fight between Burns and Vazquez or Abril without Burns’ WBO title, which he will vacated.
Crawford is just too difficult of a fighter for Burns to face, and there’s just no way that Burns will ever be able to beat a talent like him. I can definitely see Burns vacating if he’s forced to fight Crawford because he’s just too good for him and Burns is at that the point where he’s now struggling in every fight. At this point I doubt that Burns could even beat Vazquez or Abril, although having the fights staged in his home city of Glasgow, Scotland would definitely put Burns in a good position to get the nod if it goes to decision like his last fight against Betran.
Comments are closed.