(Ricky Burns seen here getting rocked by a big left hook thrown by Dejan Zlaticanin in the 1st round) By Scott Gilfoid: Former two division world champion Ricky Burns’ career is in tatters tonight after losing a 12 round split decision to #13 WBC Dejan Zlaticanin (19-0, 13 KO’s) at the Braehead Arena, in Glasgow, Scotland, United Kingdom. Zlaticanin knocked Burns to the canvas in the 1st round with a tremendous left hook to the head.
Burns made it back up by the count of 7, but he continued to take big left hooks to the head for the entire fight. The scoring was very, very generous for Burns because he should have arguably lost by 5 rounds on all three of the judges’ score cards. The judges scored it 115-113, 115-113 for Zlaticanin, and 115-113 for Burns. The American and Montenegro judges both had it scored 115-113 for Zlaticanin, whereas the British judge John Keane scored it 115-113 for Burns.
Zlaticanin continued to batter Burns with left hooks to the head after the 1st round, forcing Burns to back up to the ropes and cover up. As the fight progressed, Burns held constantly each time the much shorter 5’6″ Zlaticanin got near to him.
“This is a crushing blow to his world title ambition,” said Burns’ promoter Eddie Hearn. “There are still good fight for him domestically. At the world stage he has to rebuild again.”
I think it’s pretty clear that it’s over for Burns. If he can’t even beat a fringe contender like Zlaticanin, then it’s over for him. Zlaticanin was broadcasting his left hooks each time he came forward, but Burns couldn’t block them. He was trying to throw his own shots, and Zlaticanin was nailing him with monstrous left hooks to the head. Zlaticanin’s power was scary for a fighter so short. Zlaticanin looked more powerful than Burns’ previous opponent Raymundo Beltran and Terence Crawford. Burns perhaps didn’t take this guy as serious as he should have tonight.
Immediately after the scores were announced, Burns darted out of the ring without giving a post-fight interview. It just makes you wonder if he thought he deserved the decision. He couldn’t possibly thought he deserved to get the decision because he was the one on the canvas, and he was the one getting nailed with left hooks to the head in every round. I mean, these weren’t little shots. Zlaticanin was nailing Burns with some tremendous punches in each round. How could Burns think he deserved the victory?
It’s interesting to note that Jim Watt from Sky Sports had Burns winning the fight by a 114-113 score.
With the win, Zlaticanin wins the vacant WBC International lightweight title.
Other boxing results on the card:
Willie Limond MD 12 Curtis Woodhouse
Stephen Simmons TKO 10 Wadi Camacho
Kris Hughes UD 10 Jon Slowey
Scott Cardle pts 8 Sylvain Chapelle
David Brophy pts 8 Harry Matthews
Comments are closed.