Burns Night: Ricky lands with a huge right Pic: ©SNS Group
Ricky Burns lived up to his ‘Burns Night’ billing at Glasgow’s Kelvin Hall on Saturday night with a passionate display of the sweet science to capture the WBO super-featherweight title from Roman Martinez. The Coatbridge boxer recovered from a first round knock down to win the grueling battle by a unanimous decision with the judges scoring the bout 112-115, 112-115 and 113-115.
Burns, who becomes only the 13th Scot to ever hold a world title, failed to give anything away about his game plan in the run-up to the fight and few could have expected what they saw from the 27-year-old. Logic dictated that going in against a heavy-hitter such as Martinez Burns should stay on the outside and avoid getting dragged into any sort of brawl, but boy was logic out the window in Glasgow.
Aggression, power and speed were present in abundance for the Scot and he was able to use such attributes, topped off by accuracy, to out-box, out-punch and eventually overwhelm his opponent.
This was no one-sided affair however and while Burns had the skill to master the art of hit and not get hit, he was surprisingly willing to go toe-to-toe and trade off with the champion who has knocked out 15 of his 24 opponents. The new-look Burns may not have been getting the upper hand on each occasion from these trade-offs, indeed Martinez stalked him round the ring before unleashing powerful barrages in the early rounds, but his own strength was evident and by the end of the fight it was Martinez who looked more likely to taste the canvas.
It is clear to see why Martinez has such an impressive knockout record as the Puerto Rican was determined to finish the fight early. His lunging straights and wide-swinging hooks could decapitate a person, and almost did when on occasion he landed clean to Burns’ head, but the quick reflexes and experience of his opponent meant that these potentially knockout blows failed to reach their target allowing Burns to counter.
There was a familiar pattern emerging in the middle rounds as the fighter swapped the role of aggressor and defender; Burns normally starting the round strong but allowing Martinez back in it in the latter part of the round. However, these clashes were interspersed with clinches in which Burns’ right hook to the body followed by an uppercut served him well going into the hold and rocked back the head of his opponent.
The seventh round was a worrying sight for the hundreds gathered in Glasgow who were at the edge of their seat when Martinez was able to land every huge swing he took. Burns’ head was being thrust from side to side and backwards by a ferocious volley of attacks. At one point it looked like he may yet fall to the canvas for the second time but he managed to hold on and weather the storm.
Burns was more cautious in the eighth and kept his distance for fear of Martinez starting where he left off. The Commonwealth champion went back to basics and stayed behind a strong jab, evading his opponent’s attacks before landing his own counter and moving off and out of reach.
The final rounds were brutal as reflexes slowed and each fighter went for the big finish. Bigger punches landed on both fighters more frequently and both Burns and Martinez looked as though they could be knocked down at any moment. However, Martinez became tired and more sluggish and Burns capitalized to once again take control of the fight.
The new champion showed strength, heart, courage and true grit throughout the fight in a passionate display of fistic fury in front of his adoring fans that cheered and sang throughout the contest. Burns was thoroughly deserving of his world title and the pugilistic immortality that comes with it.
