Ricky Burns Next Fight – 5 Possible Options
Ricky Burns gave more than a good account of himself against the overweight and heavily favoured Omar Figueroa, but just what options are out there for the Scottish fighter at either Light Welterweight or Lightweight?
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The optimism shown by Sky Sports commentators and analysts on regards of Ricky Burns’ future foes may not quite be of a realistic target. Danny Garcia will have loftier ambitions, and Top Rank will see little reason for Terence Crawford to face Burns again after a comfortable win at Lightweight. But that’s not to suggest that Ricky’s days at world level are over.
Options at Light Welterweight:
Frankie Gomez
Gomez should have featured on the same night as Burns, but he failed to make weight on the undercard of Canelo Alvarez vs James Kirkland.
For Gomez this would be a chance to redeem himself to the American public, especially if his fight with Humberto Soto cannot be re-arranged. Burns, like Soto, would be a step up in opposition, but Golden Boy Promotions clearly have faith in their man making the transition.
With Burns coming up short against Figueroa in an entertaining fight, then it has both risk and reward that makes it a viable fight for Gomez’s team and the viewer.
Viktor Postol
This one is a long shot, but Postol is highly rated with the WBC, and with the potential of Danny Garcia vacating his WBC title, this could become a huge chance for Burns to re-ignite his world title aspirations at a new weight class.
This fight also has the potential to happen in Burns’ backyard with Postol being a willing travelling – at least to the USA anyway.
Postol is unbeaten and the money Burns would receive likely wouldn’t match-up to the paydays in America, and it certainly wouldn’t garner the same recognition to the casual fight fan. But if world titles are highest on the agenda then this one could get him right in line.
Lamont Peterson
This one is certainly a little ambitious, and won’t happen unless Ricky can pull off a convincing victory against one of the aforementioned potential foes, but should that be the case then this fight would be a huge chance for Burns at the highest level in the 140 lbs division.
Having been involved in a brawl with Figueroa on CBS in the United States, then the fans in America would have no problem seeing him back on PBC and on terrestrial TV, and the same goes for the well known Peterson who should have been given the verdict against Danny Garcia earlier this year.
So the match-up is doable and certainly marketable, even if it won’t be so easily winnable for Burns. But quite a few factors will have to be ticked off before this fight can be even on the agenda.
Options at Lightweight:
Kevin Mitchell
With former challenger Kevin Mitchell set to fight for the WBC Lightweight title at the end of the month, this would be the most eye-catching 1st defence for the Londoner.
This all relies on Mitchell beating Jordge Linares, but should he do so then revenge against Burns would be high on his agenda. And a summer blockbuster would be huge for the two Matchroom fighters.
It’s easy to make and with the two fighters hitting totally differing fortunes since their first meeting – that saw Burns win in 4 rounds – then it would be relatively easy to sell, especially on a stacked card like Matchroom have on May 30th.
Dejan Zlaticanin
Sticking in the UK, this fight would be a great opportunity for Burns to prove that his defeat to the unbeaten Montenegrin was down to out of the ring troubles.
But the chances of this rematch coming to fruition has been cut thinner with Zlaticanin heading to the States to fight unbeaten Ivan Redkach. Should Redkach win as expected then what is the real benefit of taking the fight again, both financially and it terms of getting another shot at a world championship. If Zlaticanin wins, then how easily will it be for Eddie Hearn to pry Zlaticanin back to the UK with other potential paydays in the US or a world title shot.
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