Boxing: Norwegian challenger takes champ Ricky Burns all the way in first title defence

Ricky Burns triumphed in the first defence of his world super-featherweight championship at Braehead Arena last night. He beat the gallant Norwegian-Colombian challenger Andreas Evensen on a unanimous points decision after 12 enthralling rounds.

• Battle: Ricky Burns was forced to go 12 rounds against the challenger.

Photograph: PA

Having won the title in such spectacular fashion against Roman Martinez at the Kelvin Hall in September, much was expected of the charming chap from Coatbridge in his first defence, and he did not fail to deliver.

His reward is surely now to gain a very lucrative contest, perhaps in Japan against one of their two champions at the weight, Takashi Uchiyama or Aoh Takahiro.

Braehead Arena is Scotland's top boxing venue when it is full and rocking, as it was for the fight last night. The near capacity crowd of almost 5,000 indulged in the old Scottish love of a sing song, Sweet Caroline and Hi Ho Silver Lining being given bags of laldy before the announcer called in the fighters.

Evensen entered the ring to a chorus of boos, but there were a sizable number of Norwegians in the crowd and they waved their flags and made as much noise as they could.

Not since the heyday of Scott Harrison has the Arena heard anything like the welcome for Ricky Burns. A blast from the past, Davie Haggerty, who performed the anthem before Harrison's title fights, then came out to sing Flower of Scotland, and from the final notes onward, the crowd took over, the chorus of "Ricky Burns, Ricky Burns" drowning out the pre-fight announcements. Both men are modest and likeable, and before the fight there had been no trash talking. Yet the looks on their faces spoke of deadly intent as they prepared to go to war.

The Colombian-born Norwegian was stepping up from featherweight, where he is WBO Inter-continental champion, and as they faced each other in the centre of the ring, it was clear that Burns was taller and more muscular. The champion had weighed in dead on 9st 4lbs, and with normal rehydration he might well have had a half-stone advantage last night.

Those physical advantages showed immediately as Burns threw a right which clearly stunned Evensen, sending him to his knee for a mandatory count of eight - exactly what happened to Burns himself against Martinez. This time, however, there would be no comeback for the downed man.

The challenger maintains that his Colombian genes give him Latin American courage, which he duly showed by standing up to Burns. Round one and two points to the Scot, however.

Burns took up the champion's position in the centre of the ring and began to dominate with jabs and hooks, though Evensen's waspish attacks showed he could be dangerous. It was another round to the champion, though.

Evensen was working very hard, but the champion's jabs and straight rights were damaging, as evidenced by the blood that began to flow from the challenger's nose.

With a quarter of the fight gone, Burns was surely ahead on all scorecards, and, bleeding from nose and mouth, Evensen's attacks now had more than a hint of desperation about them.

Yet now we saw why Burns has matured as a boxer. The sight of blood might have made him rush forward in the past, but now he defended himself well as Evensen threw caution to the winds.

In the fifth, Burns rocked the challenger with a right, but again the Norwegian showed great commitment, taking a few hefty thumps as he tried to get inside Burns's reach.

At this break a few miscreants decided to have their own contest in the cheap seats, but lost comprehensively to Strathclyde Police.

Some had doubted whether Evensen was of sufficient calibre to mount a serious challenge to Burns, but in the sixth round he not only survived a ferocious onslaught from the Scot but came back with some telling shots of his own.

Burns was comprehensively ahead at half-distance, however, and just as well, as Evensen had his best round and may have shaded the seventh.

The champion was only having a breather, however, and a series of solid body shots had the Norwegian wincing in the eighth. There was even a glimpse of the right uppercut which had wreaked havoc on Martinez.

The ninth was almost all one-way traffic against Evensen, but the tenth shoed the challenger's durability as he withstood Burns's best attacks of the bout. The 11th featured the most stunning display of courage from Evensen who several times rocked on his feet but refused to go down.

The challenger knew he had to win the 12th and last round and came out all guns blazing, but again Burns's superior boxing brain came to the fore and he tied up Evensen and saw out the round for another famous win.