By Martin Salt: After his impressive points victory against Australian Michael Katsidis, Ricky Burns is not short of options in relation to his next fight.
In the last few days, one vocal individual fighting his way back into the mix is lightweight contender Kevin Mitchell who has launched a Twitter campaign to create enough interest in a fight between him and Burns.
Kevin Mitchell failed miserably in his attempt to win the WBO Interim Lightweight title from Michael Katsidis in May 2010.
Before his defeat Mitchell had won a string of decent victories including wins over Walter Estrada and Breidis Prescott. The fight against Katsidis was a big disappointment considering the fact that Mitchell has natural talent but was dogged by behind the scenes personal troubles leading up to the contest.
Mitchell scored an impressive comeback win against John Murray in July this year with an 8th round stoppage but the Dagenham fighter has not fought since. To add insult to injury John Murray will fight WBA Lightweight Champion Brandon Rios for the title on 3rd December 2011.
Ricky Burns on the other hand is moving onwards and upwards through the higher echelons of the boxing world.
After his underdog victory over Michael Katsidis, a fight many including this writer thought he would lose, Burns has the choice of well known opposition in the Lightweight division including IBF champion Miguel Vasquez and Brandon Rios. Juan Manuel Marquez is also another name touted should the Mexican warrior choose to fight on after his controversial loss to Manny Pacquiao at the weekend.
But it is the challenge of Mitchell which may be the most logical fight for Burns at the moment in terms of another strong test and media exposure. The two fighters are without a doubt the best Lightweights in Britain at the moment and a bumper crowd at a large outdoor venue could be expected.
If Mitchell can keep on the straight and narrow and train hard there is no reason why he could not beat the durable and likeable Scottish champion. A win for Burns would increase his already growing popularity and finally begin to convince people that he actually is the real deal.
Let’s hope we find out soon. Watch this space!