Ricky Burns steps back into the ring on Saturday night, entering his first bout since he suffered a major fright against Jose Gonzalez in May.
Burns will defend his WBO lightweight title against Raymundo Beltran in Glasgow, having been extremely fortunate to hold onto it against Gonzalez, who was forced to retire with a wrist injury in the ninth round.
Prior to that moment, the Scot had been pinned against the ropes in the seventh under an assault from the challenger and was arguably losing when the fight reached a premature end.
Now Burns must bounce back and in style too if he wants to persuade superstar Adrien Broner to drop back down in weight class to fight the Scotsman.
Here are five things Burns must do against Beltran (all quotes attributable to Declan Warrington of the Daily Mail):
Start Faster
I think when I watched that (Gonzalez) fight, from the second round onwards you could see I was getting picked off.
To be fair to the champion, he is painfully honest and realistic about his own performances. He wasn’t only bullied in the seventh round; it started in the second. Gonzalez was slicker and faster to the punch, even winking to his corner at times, which immediately sent Burns into panic mode.
Show Patience
I was trying to force the fight. I was lunging in.
If Burns does take time to find his rhythm against Beltran and offers him the early advantage on the scorecards, he cannot allow himself to go chasing the fight. The best boxers are calculated. They recognise the fact there are 10 rounds still to be won, and they methodically plot their way back into the bout.
Retain Balance
I was getting caught with punches I shouldn't of, which I shouldn't have been doing. It's alright saying it now that I've watched it back, but when you are in there, that's when I should have clicked.
If a slow start led to a lack of patience from Burns, the lack of patience led to a loss of balance. Usually a technically gifted boxer, who has heart to fall back on but covers it with a compact style, Burns tried to make every punch a bomb against Gonzalez.
His body shots are among the best in the business but only when Burns chooses the right moments to use them. In his last fight his shot selection was poor until the eighth round. That needs to change.
Use the fans
That last fight, the seventh round, I think that was the worst round in my whole boxing career. It's the only time I have noticed the fans lift the roof off the place.
A proud Scotsman, Burns fought admirably in the aftermath of that seventh-round beating, inspired by his home fans. For large parts of his career he has not had to summon the collective passion of the masses, but—with Broner in mind—heart and bravery are among the few advantages Burns might have over the American.
Finish the fight
I don't know what way I'm going to take this guy on Saturday night, one round at a time, but if it's going to be toe-to-toe for 12 rounds, then I'm up for that.
Broner moved to the welterweight division for a reason. The big names are there, the big fights are there, and the big bucks are there.
If Burns still has designs on luring the American into the ring, he’s going to need a statement that convinces the U.S. public an upset is possible.
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