Last night, in Hidalgo Texas, Ricky Burns was making his debut in the US.
The Scot, who had never boxed outside the UK before was up against a fighter who many consider to be entering the stage of his career whereby he will be recognised as one of the best pound-for-pound in the world ? Omar Figueroa.
Ahead of the fight, made at light-welterweight, we predicted that Burns would be in for a tough night, based on the skills of his opponent and the fact Burns own career has looked to have been on the slide in recent bouts.
As it turned out Burns was beaten by a unanimous points verdict with the judges scoring the bout as thus:-
? 117-109
? 116-110
? 116-110
It was a commendable effort by the Scot who suffered points deductions for holding but, in the latter rounds, finished strongly giving Figueroa plenty to think about.
Whether his performance will see an upward turn or continue to see the Scot being used as a name to boost the careers of up and coming fighters remains to be seen.
Burns Suffers Defeat in US Debut
