By Scott Gilfoid: A struggling former two division world champion Ricky Burns (37-5-1, 11 KOs) will be trying to turn his career around on August 1st when he faces the ring rusty Prince Ofotsu (15-4, 11 KOs) in a scheduled 10 round bout at the Craven Park Stadium, Hull, Yorkshire.
Burns, 32, has lost three out of his last four fights, and looked mostly terrible in those fights. Burns will be moving back down to 135 for this fight after fighting at 140 in his last bout.
Burns showed some improvement in his last defeat in May in giving former WBC lightweight champion Omar Figueroa some problems in losing a 12 round unanimous decision by the scores of 116-110, 116-110 and 117-109. Burns might have done a little better if he could have detached himself from holding all night long. I mean, Burns was holding so much that it was almost as if he was physically attached to Figueroa.
I don’t know why Burns was holding so much, but he ruined his only chance of winning by not letting his hands go enough and holding like mad.
Ofotsu hasn’t fought since December 2013, at which time he was stopped in the 8th round by Richard Commey. I don’t why Burns is fighting a guy coming off of a near two year layoff instead of someone who has been fighting on a regular basis and is fighting at a high level.
Three of Ofotsu’s four losses have come against Maxwell Awuku. I’m not sure why he would elect to fight the same guy three times if he’s getting beaten over and over again. You would think two fights would be enough for him to learn that he’s not I that guys’ class.
I don’t see Burns being able to fight at a high enough level at lightweight for him to do much in the division. He would be better off moving back up to 140, and acting as gate keeper type of fighter. I think Burns could maybe get two or three more wild title shots before he runs out of options and is shutout from the world title shot process. Look at George Groves. He’s failed twice in trying to win a world title at 168, and here he is about to get a third shot in a fight against WBC champion Badou Jack.
Burns’ promoter Eddie Hearn should focus on matching him against some of his other Matchroom Sport stable fighters like Kevin Mitchell or Anthony Crolla. I think that would work out well for Burns.
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