O NE is quiet and unassuming to the point of shyness.

The other is bold, brash and seemingly prone to bouts of attempted self-destruction. Yet, despite their diverse personalities, Ricky Burns and Kevin Mitchell have been friends since their amateur days. On Saturday, however, that will be put to one side as they battle it out for Burns' World Boxing Organisation lightweight crown at the SECC.

While the boxer from Coatbridge is the perfect role model for young hopefuls, a man apparently at peace with himself, who would rather play with the Xbox or watch his favourite Rocky movies than visit his local pub, Mitchell, has spent rather too many evenings propping up the bar, fighting his demons following the break-up of his marriage.

His lifestyle ultimately resulted in a third-round stoppage by the Australian Michael Katsidis. By his own admission, Mitchell was not in a fit state to contest the interim WBO lightweight title in May 2010.

"My mind was in a bad place," he recalled. "My head was wasted for about eight months. I was out drinking until two in the morning and meeting women in the build-up to the fight. I also got myself in bother with the law a couple of times. It was craziness really, a mad situation, so it was no surprise that Katsidis stopped me. I knew the moment I made my entrance at Upton Park; I said to myself, 'I'm not ready for this'."

Mitchell might have been lost to the sport at that point but for the intervention of a local businessman, Bill Ives, a millionaire steel magnet with a big heart and a desire to save the Dagenham Destroyer from living up to his nickname in a literal sense.

Fourteen months later Mitchell repaid the Good Samaritan's faith when he returned to the ring and defeated John Murray to claim the vacant WBO Intercontinental lightweight championship.

Burns, meanwhile, has remained on the straight and narrow, defeating Roman Martinez, Andreas Evensen, Joseph Laryea, Nicky Cook, Katsidis and Paulus Moses, in turn, to confirm his status as one of the country's most accomplished fighters. This will be the 29-year-old's second defence of his crown in front of an expected 10,000 sell-out crowd more than a decade since the likes of Chris Eubank, Nigel Benn and Naseem Hamed paraded their skills at the Glasgow venue.

But Mitchell says he has left no stone unturned in his quest to realise his ambition, even going to the expense of financing a two-week training trip to the Rocky Mountains in an effort to increase his durability.

"I decided to go to Canada at the start of my training camp three months ago and a combination of running in the mountains and constant bag work got my fitness up quickly and I found it an inspirational experience. So much so that I plan to set up a permanent training camp there once I'm world champion."

Burns has other ideas, of course, and he is keen to follow in the footsteps of Scottish sporting heroes Sir Chris Hoy and Andy Murray to complete a glorious summer of sport. However, he is refusing to allow himself to get caught up in the hype surrounding his compatriots.

"I am trying not to think about the fight in these terms because that would bring added pressure to bear on myself," he said.

There are grounds for suspecting that 27-year-old Mitchell – beaten only once in 34 contests – could provide the champion with his toughest test.

"I am going to Glasgow for a punch-up and I've trained very hard for this fight, maybe the hardest I've ever trained, so I've no worries on that score," Mitchell said. "I would only have a problem if I had not prepared properly, which I was guilty of once before."