Boxing: Ricky Burns keeps a cool head

Hyperbole is the stock in trade of boxing promoters, so being called “the best fighter in Britain” is what you might expect Frank Warren to say of one of his charges.

When you consider, however, that Warren promotes and manages a whole stable of top boxers such as world light-heavyweight champion Nathan Cleverly, his praise for Scotland’s Ricky Burns is significant.

“He is the most improved and probably the best fighter in Britain,” said Warren. “I take into consideration what Amir Khan and Carl Froch have done, but I think he has shown more consistency than they have.”

For his part, Burns, who really is a shy, retiring type outside the ring, said he just got “embarrassed” at such praise.

Warren wasn’t talking up Burns just to sell tickets for the Coatbridge man’s first defence of his full WBO lightweight championship which he acquired when Juan Manuel Marquez surrendered the belt and moved up to light-welterweight in January.

The fact is that only a handful of tickets, if any, remain for Burns’s bout against former WBA lightweight champion Paulus Moses in the 6,000 seater Braehead Arena in Renfrewshire next Saturday night.

It should be an electrifying homecoming for Burns following his superb defeat of Australian warrior Michael Katsidis in London in November in the interim WBO championship contest, and the backing of the crowd may be crucial for him against an undeniably tough opponent.

Moses is “no mug” said Warren in a rare moment of understatement. From Windhoek in Namibia, Moses rejoices in the nickname The Hitman, a la Ricky Hatton. The former Pan-African champion has lost just one of his 29 fights, and that was when he conceded his title in May, 2010, to Miguel Acosta of Venezuela.

He has won bouts on three continents so is not scared to travel, even if most of his fights have been at home. Moses also carries a dig – 19 of his 28 wins were by stoppage, 11 of those in the first four rounds.

Burns is usually a slow starter – last year’s first-round clash with Nicky Cook aside – so, is he worried about the possible early big punches from the challenger?

“With 19 knockouts, obviously he can punch,” said Burns, “but I have been in with big punchers before and I have proved that I can take a good shot.

“I am sure he has trained hard and the boxing public are going to get a cracking fight. I am really looking forward to it.”

Perhaps the reason why Burns can take his time to get going is that he is sussing out his opponents, refusing to watch tapes of them beforehand – he leaves that to trainer Billy Nelson who is adept at spotting a fighter’s weaknesses and getting Burns to exploit them.

“I don’t like watching my opponents fight,” said Burns. “Even though I had seen Michael Katsidis fight before, as soon as it was confirmed that I was fighting him I didn’t watch any footage of him at all.

“I think that, if you do, you can go out there worrying too much about what is going to come back at you, whereas I just like to get on with what I am going to do.

“I’m expecting a tough fight next Saturday, but I always say ‘the better the guy in front of me, the better I am going to perform’.

“My training has been excellent, and I am getting stronger all the time at lightweight as I get older, more confident and more mature. There’s still more to come from me.”

Warren has promised again that if Burns wins on Saturday, he will put Essex boy Kevin Mitchell in against the Scottish champion for what would be a Battle of Britain par excellence.

“There’s no doubt it’s the fight everyone wants to see,” said Warren, “and one that I would certainly like to put on.”

It is still not known whether Moses’ legendary promoter Don King will arrive to light up Glasgow in his own particular style during the run up to next weekend, but the chances are that the man who put on the Rumble in the Jungle will cross the Atlantic as he has invested much in Moses.

“King is gambling a lot on trying to capture this title,” said Warren. “He has had Moses in a training camp in America and he has invested a lot of money in ensuring that he is in the best possible condition.”

King may indeed be at Braehead, but he and Moses will not leave with the crown. That will still belong to the best fighter in Britain, with Burns taken to win on points.

• Burns v Moses will be shown live on BoxNation (Sky Ch. 456/Virgin Ch. 546). www.boxnation.tv