By Scott Gilfoid: To say that WBO super featherweight champion Ricky Burns (30-2, 7 KO’s) has been a disappointing champion is putting things mildly. Instead of seeing exciting fights against top super featherweights like Takashi Uchiyama, Jorge Linares, Jason Litzau, Robert Guerrero, Jorge Solis or Takahiro Aoh, we’ve had to settle for Burns taking a counter by the name of Andreas Evensen, who came into the fight with Burns having fought only 14 times during his career.

Burns beat the little known Evensen by a 12 round decision last December in a one-sided fight, which is what I expected Evensen wasn’t in the same league as Solis, Guerrero, Litzau, Linares, Uchiyama or Aoh. Now, boxing fans will be seeing Burns make his second defense of his title against #12 ranked WBO contender Joseph Laryea (14-4, 11 KO’s) on March 12th at the Braehead Arena, in Glascow, Scotland.

Laryea, 25, has lost three out of his last seven fights and I can’t see any point in facing a guy with that many losses in his last seven fights unless Burns is doing a bit of milking of his title. If that’s the case, then I can understand him facing yet another lower ranked guy. I think it’s a bad thing to do because Burns isn’t facing dangerous guys that can actually beat him like the fighters that I have listed, but if milking is his objective as a champion, then Laryea is the way to go.

Sooner or later, Burns is going to be forced to fight a good fighter and I just hope he doesn’t vacate before he has to suffer a likely beating. I basically see Burns has a number #10 super featherweight in the division, and not a champion. I see him as a paper champion, someone holding the belt while other top fighters are busy doing other things. Once Burns fights some quality guys like the ones I’ve listed, it’s over with. He’ll lose his title. That’s my prediction.