Nice guy Ricky Burns standing tall after proving doubters wrong

AS the media gathered in a cluttered Kelvin Hall dressing-room just before midnight on Saturday, promoter Frank Warren called for a chair to be provided for the new WBO super-featherweight champion of the world.

• Ricky Burns lands a blistering punch on Roman Martinez

Ricky Burns politely declined the offer. "I'll just stand, thanks", he said with a smile which may take some time to leave his face this week. It was a fitting response from the man who had just stood tall in almost every sense to become Scotland's 12th world boxing champion.

After so long on the periphery of his sport, Burns claimed centre stage in astonishing fashion as he seized the WBO crown from the previously unbeaten Roman Martinez on a truly thrilling evening at the Glasgow venue which has played host to some of Scottish boxing's most famous nights.

As the 27-year-old from Coatbridge recovered from a first-round knockdown to outbox and at times overwhelm his Puerto Rican opponent, this was a stellar performance which ranked alongside any of them. Burns, who joins David Haye and Amir Khan in a select band of Britain's only current world champions, confounded the widespread opinion within the sport that he would be out of his depth against Martinez.

"I said before the fight that the better the opponent, the better I box," said Burns. "I've just sent a big statement to everybody who has doubted me throughout my career. I've proved I do belong at world level. I owe a big thank you to Frank Warren, my manager Alex Morrison and my trainer Billy Nelson for believing in me and getting me the title shot. I told them I wouldn't let them down and I put on the performance of my life."

Never have those of us who feared Burns would find Martinez too hot to handle been so happy to be proved wrong. One of the most likeable individuals you will meet in any walk of life, Burns is proof that nice guys do come first.

"Scotland has a hero in Ricky," said Warren, who was as animated at ringside during the fight as most observers could ever recall.

"He will become a Scottish sporting hero now, not just a boxing hero. What we saw in that ring was guts, endeavour and a will to win. He did it fabulously. It was a superb performance and one of the best nights I've ever been involved with in Scotland. I can't think of a better one. We had great nights with Scott Harrison and Alex Arthur, I've brought people like Nigel Benn and others up here down the years, but I thought that was the most electric atmosphere we've had in Scotland.

"You will have to go some to see a better fight than that this year. It was so exciting, edge of the seat stuff. When we made the fight, I did believe Ricky could win, provided he maintained his discipline. He showed he can do that. This will bring him on, he will be a 10 times better fighter now. His self belief will increase after this."

That self belief was tested to the full when, after controlling the first round behind his jab in accomplished fashion, Burns was floored by a straight right hand from Martinez near the end of the session. He recovered quickly, more startled than hurt, but the danger posed by the big-punching title holder had been made ominously apparent.

"Fair play to Martinez, I made the mistake of going a wee bit too square-on and he caught me with a peach of a right hand," reflected Burns. "As soon as he caught me, I thought 'what's going on here?' But I showed the heart of a champion to get up from it and win the fight."

He did so with a rarefied combination of fluent ringcraft and raw courage. From rounds two to six, Burns dominated Martinez with lovely footwork and smart combinations of punches. He also surprised the man from Vega Baja by outworking him in close quarters action, even having Martinez in real distress at the end of the fifth.

But in round seven, it was Burns' turn to be relieved to hear the bell after Martinez caught him with a huge left hook which had the Scot on the ropes.

Martinez was not about to surrender his crown meekly. Burns responded by re-establishing his authority in the eighth but another surge from Martinez in the ninth saw the challenger on unsteady legs at the bell. Urged on by a crowd who had gone some way beyond fever pitch, Burns refused to buckle and came blazing back in round 10, bloodying the mouth of Martinez with some sharp work. The finishing line was in sight and Burns closed the show brilliantly as he took command from the centre of the ring.

The desperation of Martinez, who realised he needed a knockout to win, saw him land a low blow in the final round, American referee Manuel Ortega allowing Burns a time out to recover. The final bell prompted jubilant scenes in and out of the ring, the outcome in no doubt.

All three judges scored in Burns' favour, Zoltan Enyedi of Hungary and Paul Thomas of England by 115-112 with American Donald Trella seeing it slightly closer at 115-113.

"As it got to rounds nine and ten, I started to think 'this is it, I'm in front'," said Burns.

"I was just trying to stick to my boxing. In the middle rounds, I stood my ground against a big puncher.

"He caught me with a few and did hurt me a couple of times but I showed again that I've got a good chin."At the end of the sixth round, I thought he was getting tired and I was hurting him with body shots. But he was a true champion and what a hard 12 rounds it was.

"I actually surprised myself with the heart and grit I showed in there. I'm struggling to let in sink in that I'm the world champion."

It was Burns' night alright and there are now more to come as he enjoys the trappings of his new status.

Warren intends to stage Burns' first defence of the title in Glasgow before the end of the year as he views a fertile period for the sport in Scotland.

On Saturday's undercard, Greenock's John Simpson lost the Commonwealth featherweight title in a close split decision to Stephen Smith of Liverpool.

However, there were comeback wins for Alex Arthur, who comfortably outpointed Peter McDonagh 79-74 on his lightweight debut, and former British featherweight champion Paul Appleby, who produced a devastating second-round stoppage of Bulgarian Yordan Vasilev.

"We will do another show here before Christmas," said Warren. "I'm going to keep Ricky busy, he needs that. It's a cliche, but you are going to have another renaissance in Scottish boxing.

"I'm telling you, Paul Appleby is going to be a star. He's got a lot of class. Alex Arthur came back and did what he had to do, while we won't disregard John Simpson, who lost a fight which could have gone either way. We may have a rematch of that one."