Would Broner have destroyed Ricky Burns had he not moved up in weight?

By Boxing News - 02/27/2012 - Comments

Image: Would Broner have destroyed Ricky Burns had he not moved up in weight?By Scott Gilfoid: I can’t help wondering what Adrien Broner (23-0, 19 KO’s) would have been able to do with former WBO super featherweight champion Ricky Burns (33-2, 9 KO’s) had Burns not skedaddled just when Broner was on the verge of fighting him last year. I know to Burns’ fans, they feel he couldn’t make the weight anymore and had to move up just at the moment that he was finally about to face his first real threat since capturing the title.

Yeah, maybe it was just coincidence that Burns decided to give up his World Boxing Organization title when he was facing the uncomfortable task of having to fight arguably the best fighter in the super featherweight division in Broner.

But another level of boxing fans think that Burns ran from Broner in order to escape being turned into hamburger or a 1st round knockout victim like Jason Litzau did against Broner. I think I can understand where these boxing fans are coming from because it sure did look suspicious with Burns taking on three soft opponents as the WBO champion, beating Andreas Evensen, Joseph Laryea and Nicky Cook, and then suddenly bailing on the division just when Broner was coming for him to take his strap.

It’s like being faced with sure fire beating and you just give up your strap rather than take that beating. I can understand why some boxing fans might feel this way. By the way, the Cook fight was a laughable fight I ever saw one. Cook came out and his back immediately seized up on him and the fight was halted in the 1st round. But what was the funny part was that Cook got a title shot against Burns in the first place. Cook had taken two years off after losing his WBO title to Roman Martinez in March 2009.

Cook came back two years later and beat journeyman Youssef Al Hamidi (8-33-2) by a six round decision, and then was given a title shot against Burns two months later. Can you believe that? Two years out of action followed by a win over a 3rd tier opponent and then he’s given a title shot against Burns. What was that all about? What that a milk job or what? That’s what I don’t like about champions that don’t take on the best competition.

I think Broner would have knocked Burns out in one or two rounds. No way do I think Burns would have made it to the sixth round, and forget about him actually winning the fight. Broner would have made easy work with him. It’s just too bad he had to abandon his strap just when faced with his first real test. What a pity.



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