By Scott Gilfoid: If you were hoping to see a mouth-watering rematch between WBO lightweight champion Ricky Burns (36-2, 11 KO’s) and Puerto Rican fighter Jose Gonzalez (22-1, 17 KO’s) you can forget it because Burns’ promoter Eddie Hearn closed the door tight and locked it by saying “No,” when asked if he’d be willing to put Burns back in with the hard hitting Gonzalez.
Instead, Hearn wants to match Burns against the light hitting IBF lightweight champion Miguel Vazquez in a fight that they’re hoping will take place in Scotland in September.
I imagine if they waive enough cash in front of Vazquez’s face, then he’ll do it but they’ll have to make sure it’s a good deal because Vazquez might not be excited about putting his IBF strap on the line in Burns’ home country with all those screaming Burns’ fans with all singing they’ll be doing.
Gonzalez hurt his left wrist in the 7th round while throwing a left to body of Burns. The shot hit Burns on his right elbow, causing Gonzalez to injure his left wrist.
The pain led to Gonzalez changing stances to try and figure out a way he could fight with just his right hand. He didn’t’ realize how far ahead of Burns he was, which is why he decided to quit after the 9th round due to the pain. Had Gonzalez knew how much of a lead he had built up then he would have continued to fight and just rode out the victory like a champ.
It’s still no big deal for Gonzalez because he’ll get another shot at the WBO title in the near future, and if Burns is still the champion then it’s good. If not, then it doesn’t matter. Gonzalez will fight whoever is the belt holder.
The way that Burns looked last Saturday night, I wouldn’t be at all surprised if he loses his next fight to Miguel Vazquez if that’s the fight his promoter Hearn sets up for him. That’s going to be a very, very tough fight for Burns.
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