By Ian S Palmer
WBO Lightweight Champion Ricky Burns will be taking on Terence Crawford at the Scottish Exhibition Centre in Glasgow, Scotland on Saturday March 1. The champion, who comes from nearby Coatbridge, will be fighting in front of his home fans while Crawford will be on the road from his native America. The bout will be shown live on Sky TV in the United Kingdom.
Burns, who turned pro in 2001, will enter the ring with a record of 36-2-1 with 11 Kos. His last bout was a controversial draw against Ray Beltran back in September. Burns suffered a broken jaw in that match and has struggled a bit in recent fights. The undefeated Crawford of Omaha, Nebraska, comes in with a prefect mark of 23-0 along with 16 Kos.
Even though Burns has struggled recently he’s still a step up in class for Crawford. The champion has faced the tougher opponents throughout his career and has championship experience. Crawford realizes he’s going to be facing a good veteran in Burns in his own back yard and claims he’s well prepared for the task at hand.
The 26-year-old Crawford stands 5-foot-8 and has a 73-inch reach. He’s basically a boxer/puncher and has pretty good power. The challenger had a good amateur career and he’s carried it on into the pro ranks. Burns is 30 years old now and stands 5-foot-10 with a 70-inch reach. This will be his 10th title bout and he always seems to do just enough to win.
It’s possible that Burns could be a little bit gun shy after having his jaw broken by Beltran and if he does then it’s not going to bode well for him. Crawford has all of the skills to beat Burns on a good night and if the champion isn’t at his best then it makes the job a little easier for the American.
Burns will need to try to keep the challenger off of him by fighting at a distance, but Crawford has the reach advantage. Crawford on the other hand needs to initiate the action and take the fight to the champions. It’s important for Crawford to win the rounds decisively if he wants to avoid some home town scoring if the bout goes the 12-round distance. Burns is a lot tougher than many fans realize and he’ll definitely be motivated in front of the Scottish fans. He’s got a lot of pride and that could be a big factor here.
If Burns can take Crawford’s best shots and stay on his feet then he has a decent chance of retaining his crown. Crawford would like to win this fight by stoppage to make sure there’s no controversial decision. Crawford could get the stoppage he’s looking for late in the fight, but even if he doesn’t, he should have already done enough to take the title by a relatively close decision.
