Ricky Burns, the new WBO champ
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By Tom Gray at ringside: Ricky Burns ripped the WBO Super Featherweight world title from previously undefeated Roman Martinez at the Kelvin Hall in Glasgow tonight before a frenzied capacity crowd. The judge’s cards read 115-112 twice and 115-113 all for the unanimous decision winner. This reporter scored the action 116-111 for Burns in what many will regard as a major upset.
The fight started badly for Burns, who was decked in the first round by a straight right hand from the hard punching Puerto Rican. Ricky got up, nodded to the referee and fought back with guts and guile. Amazingly Burns dominated the next two rounds displaying ring general ship and an excellent left jab to offset the Martinez momentum.
The crowd went wild in the fourth as their charge continued to exert tactical superiority. Burns would jab, land swift combinations and keep his back off the ropes. Excellent lateral movement was giving the champion all he could handle as Ricky controlled distance and displayed complete awareness of a perfect game plan.
It was more of the same in the fifth as the Burn’s left hand kept a clearly frustrated Martinez from closing the range. One could argue that Ricky was staying in the pocket a bit too long when he nailed Martinez but Burns had the look of a man who knew what he was doing. My notes for the fifth round stated “Ricky coming of age!”
He nearly came undone in the sixth round as Martinez upped the pace. The action had been torrid and Ricky elected to risk damage in order to rest his legs. Martinez took advantage with sweeping shots to head and body and the challenger was clearly in pain during some of the Puerto Rican’s assaults.
The seventh round started well for the brave Scot but he was caught again by a huge left hook and fell into an improvised rope a dope. He proved to be extremely adept at this throughout the fight and picked off many blows that could have brought an end to proceedings. Martinez looked so hungry in this round and repeatedly bullied the Coatbridge fighter all over the ring.
The pace slowed in the eighth round as Ricky attempted to regain a foothold. His punches weren’t as crisp as they had been but he was landing and Martinez wasn’t. His success in this stanza was punctuated by a superb right uppercut. Burns was landing clean effective work in the ninth when he was stunned in the closing stages of the round by a vicious combination. He fought back bravely but appeared to be struggling.
Burns seemed aware of what it takes to become a champion and rallied against the run of play at any given opportunity, which seemed to be disconcerting for Martinez. He did this with abandon in the tenth as he boxed the champion from distance and landed all the effective work. The bravery he displayed was inspiring as he put up the fight of his life against a true world class operator.
The championship rounds arrived and Burns was putting on a clinic. The jab was setting up beautiful combination work and Martinez couldn’t get set, his head repeatedly snapped back by an educated left hand. Martinez landed another right hand bomb but this time Burns didn’t look close to sagging. There was no way he was going to give up on what had now become a commanding, if not insurmountable, lead.
The crowd was chanting “Easy” going into the twelfth, which it certainly had not been, and Burns only had to reach the final bell. However his fighting instincts would not allow him to take the easy route as he slammed Martinez with a dynamite left hand and popped the jab at will. The closing moments were dramatic and the final bell brought a standing ovation from the partisan crowd.
Ricky Burns has done wonders for Scottish sport and himself. This reporter was aghast at how much attention the Scottish football team garnered last week, in what turned out to be another uninspired and drab effort against sub standard opposition. This fight promised to be something special and it delivered as Burns ventured through hell to reach his goal in a fine example of sport at its best. It’s Ricky Burns who deserves the limelight.
He displayed the courage of a soldier, the stamina of an elite middle distance runner but more importantly - the will, talent and desire of a real boxing world champion.
Undercard Results
Commonwealth Featherweight Title Fight
Stephen Smith W12 John Simpson
Alex Arthur W8 Peter McDonagh
Paul Appleby KO2 Yordon Vasilev
Steve Ormond W4 Johnny Greaves
Liam Smith W4 Terry Carruthers
Full undercard report to follow.
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