Scottish Star Ricky Burns to Have Terrific Supporting Cast

By Tom Gray

Ricky Burns will make the first defence of his WBO Lightweight Title on March 10^th at the Braehead Arena with the support of some of the finest fighters in the country. The Glasgow crowd will be treated to an explosive undercard which will showcase former domestic champions, amateur standouts and rising prospects.

In the chief support former British Champion Paul Appleby takes on the undefeated Steve Ormond for the Celtic super featherweight title. The talented Scot is looking to bounce back from defeat at the hands of Liam Walsh in what was arguably the best domestic battle of 2011. Appleby is seeking redemption and sees this fight as a springboard to a potential rematch.

Also returning to action will be Callum Johnson and Stephen Simmons, who won gold and bronze medals respectively at the 2010 Commonwealth Games in Delhi. Both men are now technically gifted professionals, who possess serious power in both hands.

Finally, hot prospects John Thain and Sammy Hill will look to extend their undefeated records with impressive wins on the big stage. Thain produced a nice performance last November on the undercard of Anthony Crolla’s successful British title defence against Willie Limond.

The following is a breakdown of the fighters who will appear at Braehead and a closer look at what they are each seeking to achieve:

Paul Appleby

Super Featherweight

24 Years Old

From South Queensferry

Record 17-3 (11KO’s)

Former British Featherweight Champion

Trainer by Billy Nelson

Fighting Talk: “The fight with Liam Walsh was a blessing because it has given me my confidence back. I feel that I should have won it but I need to take positives from a performance like that.

Steve Ormond is up next and he’s a good fighter but he’s never boxed anybody with my experience. It’ll be a good one while it lasts and to be honest I think it will be a war because, like me, Ormond likes to fight. I’ll need to be clever, take my time, and then hopefully I can take him out.

My preparation for the fight has been excellent. I worked with Ricky (Burns) for a week and now I’m sparring with Michael Roberts with three full weeks to go. Training has been amazing and I just can’t wait to fight now.

I want to win on March 10th but I have to win well and I need to show people that I’m not just an opponent. I’m a winner and I want a rematch with Liam Walsh and if that doesn’t happen then I’ll be looking for a British title fight. I’m not worried about anyone in the division.

Walsh is on my mind but the fight with Ormond is very important to me, so that is where my focus lies. I’ll be going for the stoppage.”

Stephen Simmons

Cruiserweight

27 Years Old

From Edinburgh

Record 3-0 (1 KO)

Former Commonwealth Bronze Medallist

Trained by Billy Nelson

Fighting Talk: “I’m getting used to the professional game and I prefer it to the amateur ranks. My focus in training has improved and Billy (Nelson) has me working on the jab, which is the punch that will win me fights if it remains on par. I also have more physical strength than most of the guys campaigning in my weight class.

I would give myself 7/10 for my last performance against John Anthony because I dropped the left hand once or twice and got tagged but I’m buzzing for March 10th and I can’t wait. It’s going to be a great night and I want to give people something to talk about when I fight on home territory. Fans are going to talk about the main event but I also want them to talk about the undercard.

My goal for 2012 is to become British Champion and as long as I’m active it can happen. I’m scheduled to fight four more times after this one and then I’ll be looking for a title fight. To be honest with you I could win the British title now.”

Callum Johnson

Light Heavyweight

26 Years Old

From Lincoln

Record 3-0 (1KO)

Former Commonwealth Gold Medallist

Trained by Joe Gallagher

Fighting Talk: “I want to be a lot busier this year because three fights since 2010 is not ideal.  To be honest I would fight every week if I could, so I’ll be aiming for six to eight fights this year, which will build me up to title contention.

I have been sparring with Paul Smith, Courtney Fry and Hosea Burton, who is due to turn professional in March.  Joe also brings sparring in so training up there (in the Gallagher Gym) is second to none.

I believe that I’m a skilled fighter but it’s not for me to say what I’ve got and what I’ve not got.  I will be looking to show people and my coach can decide how good I am.  Having said that if I get the proper fights and I’m kept busy you’ll see the best of Callum Johnson.

I can’t wait to be back in Scotland on a show like this.  I hope to give the fans a good performance and throughout 2012 I’ll be learning, winning and pushing towards bigger things.  That could be English, Scottish, British or Commonwealth titles.”

John Thain

Light Middleweight

24 Years Old

From Edinburgh

Record 5-0 (1 KO)

Former Scottish Amateur Champion

Trained by Terry McCormack

Fighting Talk:  “I’m a lot more mature now and I’ve discovered that you have to train in between fights.  There was eight full months between my last two contests but I did a lot of sparring and continued to develop and used the time to my advantage.

I’m looking to start fast on March 10th because it took me a couple of rounds to settle down last time out.  My trainer said that people, outside of my own crowd, were cheering for me and that’s great to hear because it’s important to build a following.

I have no fear of any of the junior middleweights in Britain and believe I’ll give any of these guys a hard fight, even at this early stage.  I have a good jab, a solid work rate, conditioning and a lot of heart plus I have bags of ambition.

I don’t think anybody can stop me but I have a lot of respect for these guys, particularly the champions.  Ryan Rhodes has been around for a long time and he has a lot of skills.  It would take a lot to beat someone of that caliber.

It’s great to be on the undercard of world championship boxing because that is where I want to be in the future.  I want to keep putting wins together and hopefully by the end of this year I can break into the top ten in Britain.”

Sammy Hill

Light Welterweight

26 Years Old

From Symington

Record 2-0

Represented Scotland Twice as an Amateur

Trained by Alex Mullen

Fighting Talk:  “I’ve been working a lot on my footwork, my power and my speed.  In my first two fights I was adapting to the professional game but stayed in training through Christmas so that I’ll be quicker and stronger next time.

My first fight was against Johnny Grieves who is king of the journeymen.  He’s experienced, clever and he knows how to survive but overall I thought my performance was pretty good.  Johnny praised me a lot afterwards and remarked that I almost knocked him down with a body shot in the first round.

I’m looking forward to fighting on this card because Ricky (Burns) is the main man in Scotland and he’s flying the flag right now.  Hopefully the rest of us can follow in his footsteps because he has proven that fighters from Scotland can get there if they are willing to put in the hard work and dedicate themselves.

On March 10th I’m looking to put on a good show for the fans.  I have 250 supporters coming with me and I want a good win, whether it’s points or a stoppage.  By the end of the year I’m aiming for a Scottish Area title or a Scottish Masters title.”

Ricky Burns vs. Paulus Moses will be live and exclusive on BoxNation (Sky Ch. 456/Virgin Ch. 546) on Saturday 10 March. Join at www.boxnation.tv

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