Scottish Exhibition Centre
Glasgow, Scotland
United Kingdom
By Robert Moore
Next Saturday marks the return of WBO lightweight champion, and the pride of Scottish boxing, Ricky Burns (30) with a record of 36-2-0, 11ko’s vs. rugged Mexican born challenger Raymundo Beltran (32) with a record of 28-6, 17ko’s at the Scottish Exhibition Centre in Glasgow, Scotland.
The champion (Burns) is coming of a very tough win against then unbeaten Puerto Rican challenger Jose Gonzalez in a fight which was extremely competitive and hard fought. Burns scored a come from behind 9th round technical stoppage (Gonzalez failed to come out for the 10th round) over his relatively unknown, but talented opponent.
Ricky Burns has had a steady career, with his two losses coming early in his career against domestic foes Alex Arthur and Carl Johanneson, with both defeats coming via 12 round unanimous decisions. Since those early defeats, Burns has been on a steady climb to the top, winning the Commonwealth super featherweight title before defeating the dangerous Roman Martinez for the WBO super featherweight title back in 2010. He went on to defend it 3 times before moving up in weight and winning the belt he currently holds, the WBO lightweight title.
Raymundo Beltran is a rugged Mexican fighter who has plenty of heart and passion inside the squared circle. Formerly a Manny Pacquiao sparring partner, Beltran has been in some very decent fights, mixing it up with good competition. Three of his six losses have come against top level opposition in Ammeth Diaz via 4th round stoppage in 2008, a 10 round unanimous decision to world title challenger Sharif Bogere in 2011, and another points loss to Luis Ramos Jr in 2012. Bogere and Ramos Jr were both unbeaten at the time, but have gone onto lose later fights. Since his last defeat, Beltran has gone 3-0 with the most impressive victory being a majority decision win against American Henry “Hank” Lundy.
In what promises to be an action packed fight between two highly contested guys, Ricky Burns vs. Raymundo Beltran has caught the public’s imagination, as both have big hearts and good skills. The pair have had their defeats, but rebounded nicely, going on to do better things in their respective careers.
In what is likely to be a hostile reception for Beltran in Scotland, it is probable both he and his representatives see this as a calculated risk.
This fight will exceed expectations in my opinion, as these guys seem to be a recipe for entertainment inside the ring. One thing we have come to realize is Ricky Burns has shown himself to be a very proud man, a fighter who has been improving every fight, someone who is humble and grounded. He has stolen the hearts of your everyday Scottish man and woman, as well as his growing contingency of fans around the rest of the UK, and across borders, including on the other side of the pond in the USA.
Prediction: Ricky Burns points victory in an entertaining fight which will give boxing fans more respect for a fighter who is turning doubters into believers. VIVA Boxing.
