The Battle of Britain: Ricky Burns vs. Kevin Mitchell

**atomicpoet** · Posted On: 9/23/2012 9:23pm

Eddie Hardon has alluded to a boxing renaissance in the United Kingdom. This is because the nation is brimming with talent. They have many good boxers (David Haye, Carl Froch, Kell Brook, etc.), but today I'll talk about someone I believe is the best British boxer: Ricky Burns.

What makes Scotsman Ricky Burns so special? It's that he doesn't seem very special at all. He's not fast. He's not the hardest puncher. Yet, when he steps into the ring, Burns is always that much better against very good opponents.

Last night, he fought Kevin Mitchell, an Englishman currently rated #4 at Lightweight by RING Magazine. It was commonly thought that Burns would either win by decision or Mitchell would win by KO.

Nobody thought Burns would win by KO in early rounds.

The first round started tentatively, with both fighters feeling each other out. It looked like Mitchell would be the better man in the first 3 minutes, having found his way through Burns' guard.

But in Rd. 2, the momentum shifted. Burns fed Mitchell with overhand rights. It was clear that Burns found his money shot.

Rd. 3 revealed something altogether new. Burns was hurting Mitchell, stopping him in his tracks in several occasions.

The end came in Rd 4. With one of the most beautiful hooks I've seen recently, Burns floored Mitchell. Somehow, Mitchell got up on unsteady legs, and Burns pounced — flooring him again. Mitchell got up once more, but it was clear he couldn't defend himself. The referee thankfully stopped the fight, probably saving Mitchell's life.

In the last two years, Ricky Burns has beaten Kevin Mitchell, Paulus Moses, Michael Katsidis, and Roman Gonzalez. He's captured two titles at two different weight classes. His next goal is to capture The RING championship.

**Eddie Hardon** · Posted On: 9/24/2012 5:22am

Good post and video, so well done you.

Yeah, Ricky Burns is not widely known - in general terms - although he got a name check in last week's Martinez-Beltran fight. I tended to favour Kevin Mitchell, as I had seen him before and he performed masterly against Breidis Prescott to win a lop-sided decision. Breidis had demonstrated his punching power by KO'ing Amir Khan with ease. Mitchell showed great skill in evading and nullifying Prescott's power and was the clear winner.

He came unstuck against Katsidis but this was a background against domestic difficulties which badly affected his Mind-set and told so thoroughly against him in the Ring. Still, he seemed on his way back towards the top.

In contrast, Ricky Burns had less TV - though possibly not in Scotland - but features in the small boxing press. Even so, he was also an unknown quantity.

I should have paid more attention to Steve Bunce. He's an enthusiastic boxing journalist who hosts a weekly cable programme on Box Nation and also a podcast on BBC Sport website.

So, Burns will be one to watch.

Thanks for the post. :-)

**atomicpoet** · Posted On: 9/24/2012 12:14pm

Yeah, Ricky Burns isn't well known in the UK at all. When he fought Michael Katsidis it was on the undercard of George Groves vs. Paul Smith. Don't get me wrong, I like George Groves, but anyone with half a brain knows that Burns-Katsidis is the better fight.

Currently, Burns works in a sporting goods store. That all might change soon when word gets out about just how good he is.

**Kambei Shimada** · Posted On: 9/27/2012 9:03am

Fantastic fight! I've always liked watching Mitchell but Burns is just turning into a truely 'world class' fighter.

Shame boxing is so badly promoted these days because the UK is churning out talent.