BoxRec

Some posts are portraying that its a choice between Broner or Mitchell. That is emphatically not the case. Burns will earn more against Broner than he is likely to against Mitchell. If Burns loses to Broner there is absolutely nothing stopping him coming home and fighting Mitchell as well. Theres Murray sitting around also and if Arthur keeps winning thats an easy money spinning fight. Burns has nothing to lose but the WBO bauble by fighting Broner. Its not like he has an undefeated record or major ppv deal to protect!

The idea that beating Mitchell will 'increase his UK profile' is nonsense. Burns has received exceptional coverage and support from the Scottish media. He is a popular, likeable guy. Despite that he is not selling tickets at a level that'll make him rich. If Burn even performs well in the US he will put himself in the frame for big fights at LW. Matthew Macklin anyone?

When some of us on here predicted that Burns would duck Broner, Billy Nelson was furious. Ricky is a big sfw and no doubt it is a challenge to make the weight, but it is scarcely believeable that it becomes insurmountable at the exact point Burns has to face a live opponent.

Sometimes I really wonder why our fighters bother going for world titles because all too often they do nothing with them, come home and play pass the parcel with a whole host of undeserving domestic challengers.

If Burns doesnt take this fight he'll retire safe in the knowledge that he walked away from the biggest opportunity of his life.

DaveBoyMorrison wrote:I think some of the so called boxng fans on this thread should be ashamed of themselves. Burns is a fighter to the soles of his boots, trown to the wolves early on in his career and still blossomed in spite of that. He now has to suffer some Internet monkeys calling him kiddie names and making out he is scared!!! FFS get a grip.

He is big at the weight and tbh Boner isn't all that, very fast but think he would struggle with Rickys jab and movement.

I hope Burns does what is best for his career overall not what some bumboys on here think he should.

sensible post. Burns fought graham earl when he was supposed to be britains number one lightweight, at lightweight, years ago when he was barely out of nappies. lately hes had a couple of easier opponents, but he won the title off an excellent fighter and as far as im concerned is beyond criticism.

Burns V Gavin Rees For Euro Lightweight Title?

jimcook wrote: he won the title off an excellent fighter and as far as im concerned is beyond criticism.

For me no fighter is above criticism and no fighter below praise.

Trojans44 wrote:Some posts are portraying that its a choice between Broner or Mitchell. That is emphatically not the case. Burns will earn more against Broner than he is likely to against Mitchell. If Burns loses to Broner there is absolutely nothing stopping him coming home and fighting Mitchell as well. Theres Murray sitting around also and if Arthur keeps winning thats an easy money spinning fight. Burns has nothing to lose but the WBO bauble by fighting Broner. Its not like he has an undefeated record or major ppv deal to protect!

The idea that beating Mitchell will 'increase his UK profile' is nonsense. Burns has received exceptional coverage and support from the Scottish media. He is a popular, likeable guy. Despite that he is not selling tickets at a level that'll make him rich. If Burn even performs well in the US he will put himself in the frame for big fights at LW. Matthew Macklin anyone?

When some of us on here predicted that Burns would duck Broner, Billy Nelson was furious. Ricky is a big sfw and no doubt it is a challenge to make the weight, but it is scarcely believeable that it becomes insurmountable at the exact point Burns has to face a live opponent.

Sometimes I really wonder why our fighters bother going for world titles because all too often they do nothing with them, come home and play pass the parcel with a whole host of undeserving domestic challengers.

If Burns doesnt take this fight he'll retire safe in the knowledge that he walked away from the biggest opportunity of his life.

yep.

just can't see a downside to taking the fight.

Trojans44 wrote:Some posts are portraying that its a choice between Broner or Mitchell. That is emphatically not the case. Burns will earn more against Broner than he is likely to against Mitchell. If Burns loses to Broner there is absolutely nothing stopping him coming home and fighting Mitchell as well. Theres Murray sitting around also and if Arthur keeps winning thats an easy money spinning fight. Burns has nothing to lose but the WBO bauble by fighting Broner. Its not like he has an undefeated record or major ppv deal to protect!

The idea that beating Mitchell will 'increase his UK profile' is nonsense. Burns has received exceptional coverage and support from the Scottish media. He is a popular, likeable guy. Despite that he is not selling tickets at a level that'll make him rich. If Burn even performs well in the US he will put himself in the frame for big fights at LW. Matthew Macklin anyone?

When some of us on here predicted that Burns would duck Broner, Billy Nelson was furious. Ricky is a big sfw and no doubt it is a challenge to make the weight, but it is scarcely believeable that it becomes insurmountable at the exact point Burns has to face a live opponent.

Sometimes I really wonder why our fighters bother going for world titles because all too often they do nothing with them, come home and play pass the parcel with a whole host of undeserving domestic challengers.

If Burns doesnt take this fight he'll retire safe in the knowledge that he walked away from the biggest opportunity of his life.

Excellent post. You've summed things up really nicely.

If this is true and he vacates he'll be another Paul Weir, if he carries on, like a true champ should, he may be another Jim Watt.

The paradox is, us fans see it as a sport, and the participants see it as a business. Both views are correct but personally I think Burns would be a laughing stock if he walks away just because his mandatory contender looks a bit tasty. Burns has been a dependable but unspectacular British level fighter for most of his career, then he did brilliantly last year to win the WBO belt, which caused us all to examine him in a new light and applaud him for it, and I don't even mind one or two easy defences but come on, if he's going to give up the WBO title because of a difficult contender, its a joke and you just lose all the respect he's worked so hard to gain.

Beyond his fighting career there's the rest of his life, with after dinner speeches, ringside appearances etc, surely Ricky doesn't want to be remembered as the Scottish world champ who bottled it when a hard looking contender became no.1 in the rankings ?

Somebody please tell the shysters advising Ricky that being "world champ" means acting like one.

hopefully he doesn't vacate the title at the first difficult challenge.

if eh does vacate then surely he'd vacate for no less than a shot at one of the lightweight titles - but which one? i mean can FW contrive a title match between burns and mitchell? if so, of course it would be a very good matchup, but burns would be considered a carefully matched guy (after doing so well vs roman martinez, a world class puncher).

Good interview with Ricky on Seconds Out - class act, answers a lot of the questions on this thread

http://www.secondsout.com/uk-boxing-new ... ien-broner

I dont know what to make of this - is Ricky Burns incapable of thinking for himself? His coach, manager and promoter are all saying lightweight and he is saying Broner. He also says his defences werent his choice and the only "world" title mentioned is the Warren Boxing Organisation.

Farcical is all I can say - a live mandatory opponent and the game suddenly changes - Maybe Broner should move up a weight also and become mandatory at WBO lightweight - thatd call a big bluff

i've mentioned before that if ricky doesn't fight broner, its a copout. That interview reinforces that its not his choice. He wants the Ring belt, which is the proper championship belt in my opinion.

he should fight broner, hammer him, and then move up. I believe he has it in him to do it, and hope he does.

http://ringtv.craveonline.com/rumors/ar ... t-wbo-belt

seems to be fairly certain then

smcb80 wrote:http://ringtv.craveonline.com/rumors/ar ... t-wbo-belt

seems to be fairly certain then

Also shows that some promotional outfits can flex a bit of muscle and force their agenda on sanctioning bodies. No definitive word from the Burns camp but GBP/Ring have made the decision for the WBO

Well if team Burns are testing the water to see what kind of reaction they would get from Burns ducking out of his first meaningful challenge , i hope some of excellent posts on here have made that clear. Even if Burns does take the fight, his management have tarnished his courage by putting the very idea of him pulling away from his championship obligations. I feel sorry for Ricky because he's a gutsy fighter and shouldn't be the subject of post questioning his willingness to take tough fights.

Shame on those handling his career.

FW claims Burns is stepping up to lightweight to become a two-weight world champion, by fighting for the interim WBO lightweight title!

Marquez is the WBO lightweight champ but obviously he's tied up for the next six months, in that he won't be defending that belt anytime soon. I imagine this is why the WBO will grant an interim championship. Looking at their lightweight rankings, Kevin Mitchell is number three. Will we see Mitchell vs Burns for the interim title ?

I really admire Burns for how he's turned his career around but he's a grown man not a kid and if he really does dodge Bronner I am afraid to say I will root against Burns for the rest of his career, because the conduct of making a few easy defences of a version of the world title, then bottling it when a mean looking mandatory is next in line, shames the great sport of boxing. It really does.

Ricky Burns is a world champ at bottling it.

about 4 years ago FW said there would be an era of the best british fights around the 126-135 region. it seemed we'd get this, with mitchell-johanesson and arthur-foster jr wars. but then we didn't see much more. now, recently, there's been murray-mitchell, and possibly burns-mitchell. i didn't think that a WBO international or intercondinental title would be enough, though.

Burns talking 1 week ago on Ringside. He is a nice guy, I hope whatever his team end up doing it gives him the chances he wants. You get far more credit for fighting the best and losing, than fighting stiffs and talking-up the best and never facing them.

6.00 onwards.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3zievS9My_w

ThereByTheGrace wrote:http://www.secondsout.com/uk-boxing-new ... ien-broner

I dont know what to make of this - is Ricky Burns incapable of thinking for himself? His coach, manager and promoter are all saying lightweight and he is saying Broner. He also says his defences werent his choice and the only "world" title mentioned is the Warren Boxing Organisation.

Farcical is all I can say - a live mandatory opponent and the game suddenly changes - Maybe Broner should move up a weight also and become mandatory at WBO lightweight - thatd call a big bluff

Excellent post.

Looks like it's official now he's vacated and fighting for the interim WBO lightweight belt
http://www.BS.com/warren-burns ... hot--43603

Would he have been advised to move up if his first mandatory had been against a Joseph Laryea or Andreas Evensen type of opponent? i think we all know the answer to this.

I appreciate that Ricky goes through hell trying to make weight but so do probably 99% of all boxers 175lbs and under. If we were still living in the era of same day weigh-ins then there would be a health issue but nowadays i bet Burns is a big re-hydrater and comes into the ring as a strong healthy Welterweight.

The sad thing is if Ricky loses to Mitchell next then he'll be in a pretty poor position career wheras if he did fight Broner and put in a good perfomance and even win then he could really be in a position to become a boxing star. Having seen Broner a few times now i think he could be a special fighter in a few years time but at 22 years old he's still developing and beatable with the right tactics as Ponce de leon showed so it's a shame Ricky didn't give it a go.

dewipowell wrote:

crusader wrote:If Burns vacates w/o fighting Broner:

I'm just wondering how deciding against fighting in Broner's hometown and instead moving up in weight against a more proven, harder hitting and heavier opponent constitutes as ducking Broner? If Warren can get it for the vacant WBO title against Mitchell, with Marquez vacating to fight Pacquiao and Gurrero vacating the interim to fight Maidana (that's assuming they do vacate), then Ricky should take the fight. It will do wonders for his profile in the UK, he'll get paid well and he can win a world title.

by that rationale, does that mean marquez and guerrero would be vacating to avoid ricky/mitchell