Ricky Burns
Ricky Burns ( born April 13 1983 in Coatbridge, Scotland ) is a Scottish professional boxer in the lightweight. He is a former WBO world super featherweight champion and former WBO world champion at lightweight.
Boxing career
Beginnings as a professional
Ricky Burns began his boxing career on 20 October 2001 as a regional fighter in Scotland. After he won his first seven fights he competed against his hitherto unbeaten compatriot Colin Bain. He won against Bain a points victory over 6 rounds in which he in the second round was reflected Bain twice. This battle earned him some attention and so he joined in the sequence for the first time at outside Scotland. He entered London against Graham Earl, who was at that time the British champion at lightweight. But the fight was not a title fight. Earl was the favorite in the fight, but lost on points after Burns was able to dominate the fight over the full 8 rounds.
Early title fights
With the victory over Earl Burns had attracted much attention and subsequently received only a year later the opportunity after only 13 fights as a professional by the British, European and Commonwealth Championships in super featherweight boxing. The fight took place in Edinburgh and opponents was the future WBO world champion Alex Arthur. Burns lost the fight on points earned by the press and opponents but much praise.
On 9 February 2007 Burns was given another chance at the British Championship at featherweight. He kicked Carl Johanneson on, but lost the fight on points and it was knocked down three times.
Commonwealth Champion
After several battles construction Burns received in 2008 a new opportunity for the Commonwealth title to boxing. The title became vacant and should now be boxing between Burns and the Ghanaians Osumanu Aqaba. Burns won the close match with a point judgment.
World champion in the super featherweight
As a result, he defended the title three times, and then laid him down to no more mandatory defenses have to pass since it is in the world ranking of number one WBO hoped a title shot against the world champion Román Martínez. After the fight was canceled and postponed several times he was held in Glasgow on September 4, 2010. Martinez was unbeaten at this time. The fight started badly for Burns, when he suffered a precipitate in the first round. But he recovered quickly and managed the rest of the fight largely to dominate and so to win a unanimous points verdict for themselves.
Burns defended the title three times successfully, but announced to resign from the title September 22, 2011 in order to ascend to the light weight. The reason he gave more and more problems to have to reach the weight limit before the fight.
World champion at lightweight
In his first fight at lightweight Burns was up against the Australian Michael Katsidis. The winner should interim world champion of the WBO and thus be given the right to the regular world champion Juan Manuel Marquez boxing. The fight against Katsidis took place on November 5, 2011 in Wembley Arena in London. Burns won the fight clearly on points and was so new interim world champion of the WBO. Since Marquez but decided in turn to rise to the welterweight division, the WBO Ricky Burns declared on 26 January 2012 for the regular world champion.
He then defended the title against Paulus Moses (28-1 ), Kevin Mitchell ( 33-1 ) and José González ( 22-0 ). After a draw in September 2013 against Raymundo Beltran ( 28-6 ), he lost the world title on March 1, 2014 Terence Crawford ( 22-0 ).