By Scott Gilfoid: I guess I should have smelled something was rotten to begin with when WBO super featherweight champion Ricky Burns (32-2, 9 KO’s) first signed the contract to fight the non-top 15 ranked Nicky Cook (30-3, 16 KO’s). It had mismatch written all over it even in the planning stages of the fight.

Cook had fought only once since being destroyed by Ramon Martinez, and had only fought one time in the past years, yet here he was being given a title fight against Burns without being ranked in the top 15. This fight had ugly written all over it, and it was just another example of Burns taking on a weak opponent instead of someone really good like Adrien Broner.

As for the fight, if you want to call it that, Cook fell down in the first six seconds of the fight without being hit. He was clutching his back like an old man. It was sad. He clearly had a bad back and yet somehow he made it through the pre-fight physical. Just before the fight started, cook stretched his back in weird way and it looked odd, as if there was something not right there. He was keeping his back completely straight as if there was a board tapped to it to keep him from bending.

I thought something was wrong there, and sure enough, Cook hit the canvas almost immediately clutching his back in pain. It was a total farce. When the action resumed, Cook fell down again a couple seconds later and again was holding his back. He got up once again and stayed on his feet long enough for Burns to connect with two rights to the head, and a right to the midsection that had Cook holding his hack and tottering like an old man looking for his cane. Burns then landed another fight hand that put Cook down again. He got up once again holding his back and the fight continued. After Burns landed several more shots, Cook’s corner finally threw in the towel.

This has got to be the most pathetic fight I have ever seen in my life, but somehow I’m not surprised in the least. I would be surprised if Burns would actually fight someone really good but this goes along nicely with the types of guys he’s been fighting since he captured the belt last year against Martinez.