History beckons for Ricky Burns

By Robbie Bannatyne - 05/28/2016 - Comments

burns763By Robbie Bannatyne: As a huge fan of boxing with an enthusiasm for writing, I have been unable to indulge in my twin passions on topics relating to my native Scotland for a long time. Starved of worthy material for a while, I’m delighted to finally have something to shout about again. Big time boxing is back in Glasgow!

Hometown hero Ricky Burns (39-5-1) bids to become the 1st 3-weight world champion in Scottish history tonight when he takes on Michelle Di Rocco (40-1-1) for the vacant WBA Super light-welterweight title.

While it’s been all boom for British boxing in recent years, Burns’ career at the top level looked to have gone bust after back-to-back losses to Terrence Crawford and Dejan Zlaticanin. In a period of such progress for the sport in the UK, the soft spoken Burns was forced to regress into the shadows and slowly rebuild his career.

From the brink of obscurity, Burns has the chance to bloom again. He is back in the spotlight with a gilt-edged chance to once again become a legitimate world champion against an opponent who has never sailed on the waters of world class boxing despite turning professional 12 years ago.

Nicknamed ‘The King’, Di Rocco rules the roost at 10st in Europe. Yet at 34 years old his resume is bereft of any boxer of world renown. The fact that he has failed to ever face any elite operators suggests he has found his level on the European scene. Look into the absence of world class competition rather than the number of victories on his career win column for any assessment of his true ability as a potential world champion.

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However, while Di Rocco has never fought in boxing’s fast lane, we don’t know whether Ricky Burns still has enough left in the tank to cope at the top level either. That is why it should be an intriguing contest. Burns and Di Rocco have been on separate lanes in the past, but on the same piece of road tonight one man will prove where they really belong on the boxing landscape.

While it is win or bust at world level for Ricky Burns, Di Rocco could easily lose and drop back down to the familiar and more accommodating environs of European competition and continue where he left off. Defeat for Burns on the other hand will have far reaching consequences for his future career prospects. On the flip side, a few more big paydays on home soil and a page in Scottish boxing history beckons for Burns if he wins. More than enough motivation for the Rickster to grab the carrot and beat Di Rocco with the stick tonight at the Hydro Arena in Glasgow, Scotland.

With the future of Scottish boxing balanced precariously on his back, Burns simply has to do the business against Di Rocco.

We’re all behind you Ricky, bring it home!

Thanks for reading, Fight Fans. I look forward to reading your comments.

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