ALEX ARTHUR, the former World Boxing Organization super-featherweight champion, has endorsed Ricky Burns' decision to return to boxing at light-welterweight level and believes that the move up in weight class can help to revive the Scot's career.

Burns' decision to compete at 140lb was forced on him as a result of the draining effects of making the lightweight limit of 135lb, a process which undermined his performances to such an extent that he lost his WBO lightweight title to Terence Crawford in March, before then succumbing to a first defeat outwith world title level since 2007. That came against the unheralded Montenegrin Dejan Zlaticanin.

Burns will face the Frenchman Alexandre Lepelley at the First Direct Arena in Leeds on Saturday, his first fight at light-welterweight. Arthur, who famously defeated an over-matched Burns in a defence of his British, Commonwealth and European titles in 2006 before he was forced to move up weight categories, believes it was the only decision his compatriot could make.

"For me, Ricky has made the right call by making the move up and fighting on," said Arthur. "If you look at the new lease of life Ricky got after he moved up from super-featherweight to lightweight then I think you will see him similarly revitalised by stepping up to 140lb.

"I went through a similar process and what happens is that the battle to make the weight becomes so brutal you fall out of love with boxing. By the time I beat Stephen Forster to win the WBO super-featherweight title I was finding it really tough to do 130lb; it only got worse when I made my defence against Nicky Cook.

"My calf was cramping and rock-tight and the whole process was making me ill. The older you get the harder it becomes. Ricky knows all that from when he made the step up to lightweight and, now he has been forced to do so again, I'm sure he will benefit and be a lot stronger."

Should Burns triumph over Lepelley, a fighter who is ranked No.8 in Europe, he could move into the picture for a European light-welterweight title challenge. That would bring a repeat of his doomed bid for the same belt eight years ago when he lost to Arthur in the three-belt battle which the Edinburgh fighter won on points.

Arthur's switch-hitting to a southpaw stance that night also exposed a flaw in the former two-weight world champion's fistic make-up which has continued to cause Burns problems. "The great thing for Ricky is that he isn't facing another southpaw with a big left hook," Arthur acknowledged.

"It's a strange one because when he came through at the Barn gym, Ricky had plenty of sparring with southpaws. But when I fought him back in 2006, and I switched, he struggled with it and he has had similar problems with the left hook, whether from a southpaw or orthodox stance, against [Jose] Gonzalez, [Raymundo] Beltran, Crawford, and Zlaticanin. But I don't see that being an issue for him this time."