By Scott Gilfoid: WBO lightweight champion Ricky Burns (35-2, 10 KO’s) says he wants to unify the lightweight straps after blowing out an undersized Kevin Mitchell (33-2, 24 KO’s) in a 4th round stoppage win tonight in Scotland. Burns doesn’t say who he specifically wants to fight first in looking to unify the 135 pound straps, but my guess is IBF champion Miguel Vazquez rather than the WBC champ Antonio DeMarco.

Burns said this as quoted by RingTV “I just feel so much physically stronger now. On Monday, I will be on the phone to my promoter Frank Warren and my manager Alex Morrison and, hopefully, we can push for a unification fight.”

I bet Burns feel stronger. He looked like incredible hulk next to the tiny Mitchell. Burns must have weighed close to 150 tonight. More power to him for doing a good job of rehydrating up in weight, but the World Boxing Organization needs some rehydration rules so that fighters are around the same size when they step inside the ring. I’d hate to see someone get hurt.

Burns says he wants to go after the Ring magazine lightweight strap. There’s one BIG problem that is standing in Burns’ way and his name Adrien Broner. He’s facing DeMarco in November and he’s going to win that fight with ease. Burns, if he’s still interested in fighting a unification, will have to decide if he just wants to after IBF champ Miguel Vazquez and whoever emerges as the WBA World lightweight champion in the November 3rd fight between Richard Abril and Sharif Bogere or if Burns wants to take on the best fighter in the division in Burns.

This is what I see happening. Burns avoids Broner like the plague and instead goes after Vazquez next. That’s pretty much the only choice that Burns has. He’s obviously not going to wait around for November until the Abril-Bogere fight happens. He’s got to stay busy. But I don’t think he’s going to get even Vazquez in the ring before the end of the year, because Top Rank is interested on matching their unbeaten fighter Mercito Gesta against Vazquez after Vazquez defends his title against his mandatory challenger Marvin Quintero on October 27th.

That pretty much rules out Burns fighting any of the lightweight champions in 2012. If he wants to face the champs he’s going to have to wait until next year. I know it hurts but I Burns will be better off not fighting any of the lightweight champs right now because he’ll only get beat and then he won’t be happy. Those lightweight champs are good and he won’t be able to beat a fighter like Broner on size alone because Broner rehydrates up to close to 150 lbs when he fights and he’s a heck of a lot quicker and stronger than the light hitting Burns.