RICKY BURNS came dressed for war in Glasgow.
His face hidden beneath a camouflage cloak deep into night, there was nothing covert about his entrance into the SSE Hydro. Welcome To The Jungle was the anthem blaring out, barely audible over a din on a decibel level normally reserved for Concorde trying to take off in the Clyde Tunnel. The 34-year-old has been involved in his fair share of conflicts on home and foreign soil, leading the three weight world champion to his latest battle, a super-lightweight unification mission.
However, the dogged commitment, guile and experience was not enough for him to win this war against Julius Indongo. Wearing cammo shorts and green gloves, Burns struggled to fully assert himself against the Namibian southpaw in the earlier rounds. A rally midway through the contest not enough to salvage a victory to keep hold of his WBA title and claim the IBF belt from his opponent, as Indongo was ruled the victor with a judges’ score of 120-108, 118-110, 116-112 in favour of the Namibian.
In the early rounds Burns was on the back foot. His defensive movement was good, but it wasn’t enough to stop the rangy Indongo connect a couple of left hooks with the Scot in the second.
A chorus of Flower of Scotland seemed to wring out something in Burns as the third got underway, but even then the jab of the undefeated African was a constant menace which restricted the fluidity of the Coatbridge man.
It took until the fifth for the crowd to get something to cheer. A quick combination early on from Burns finding its mark on Indongo’s face, the noise in the cauldron stirred. Burns responded and caught his opponent twice more before, with a spring in his step, he returned to his corner.
Now the chorus of Burns’ name bounced around the Hydro as another round went his way. The seventh brought more blows from those green gloves to the head of Indongo, with the Namibian scampering backwards to get out the way at one point.
Just as it appeared the man in the blue shorts was running out of steam, he roared back. Burns was caught off the guard square in the face with a bruising hook. It was one of flurry to leave the Scot red faced and looking vulnerable as the bell bought him time.
If watching Burns has taught us anything, though, he never knows when he’s beaten. The ninth belonged to him, a furious combination sending Indongo spinning on to the ropes, the startled African dazed and off guard.
Ten and 11 came as the crowd got to their feet to offer Burns more, but it was too tight to call with the Scot finishing on his knees as the bell sounded.
The final round Burns tumbled again as his swing missed and his momentum brought him to the canvas. He rose again, sweat lashing from his brow, before falling once more. The Hydro held its breath.
The gasps exhaled moments later would be in resigned disappointment rather than shock as Burns was deservedly beaten.
Earlier in the night, Charlie Flynn’s year-long ring return came to a premature and painful end in front of a bemused crowd.
The 23-year-old had not swung a competitive glove since defeating Abdon Cesar last May at the same venue in Glasgow, but a bizarre Celtic Lightweight title bout with Ryan Collins delivered the Mail Man’s first fight without a victory since turning pro.
An accidental clash of heads in the third round brought proceedings to an abrupt halt as the Lanarkshire man began to click through the gears, and Flynn now faces a further wait for his next win after a deep cut as a result of the knock will keep him sidelined for the next three months.
“The eye is fine, 25 stitches though. It’s the most I’ve had,” said Flynn following a 45-minute stint with a medic and a thread and needle. “He just fell in and bang. It was then stopped for an accidental head butt. Because it was before the fourth round, nobody’s a winner.
“The doctor has given me 90 days out because the cut was so deep. It’s depressing.”
While a fair chunk of the 8000 in the building only had eyes for the Super-Lightweight unification clash between Burns and Indongo at the top of the bill, a raft of Scottish fighters on the undercard created a predictably raucous and partisan roaring rabble from those indulging in the odd libation in the shadows.
However, spare a thought for the hundreds from Motherwell who came here to follow Iain Butcher of Jerviston go up against Charlie Edwards for the vacant British super flyweight title. The 24-year-old said at the pre-fight press conference on Thursday he’d sold more briefs than Calvin Klein for this one, but the boxer would be left red-faced to find out on Friday he hadn’t made the weight by half a pound. A pricey mishap meaning the title was outwith his reach.
He would ultimately loss the contest anyway, 121-108, 121-109, 121-108.
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