Ricky Burns has been handed one last crack at the big time by promoter Eddie Hearn.
The 36-year-old Scot – a world champion in three different weight divisions – will meet Venezuelan Jorge Linares, who has achieved the same feat, in an eliminator for the WBA lightweight title.
They’ll top the bill at the SSE Hydro in Glasgow on September 7. It’ll be Burns’ first fight since he blew away Scott Cardle in November, due to a proposed match-up with another former world champion, Lee Selby, falling through.
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Linares, known as El Nino de Oro (The Golden Boy), is two years younger than Burns and has established a reputation as a Brit basher, having beaten Kevin Mitchell, Luke Campbell and Anthony Crolla (twice) in world title fights.
His pro record is 45-5, with 28 knockouts and all five of his defeats coming by KO. An exciting fighter, he took the pound-for-pound world No.1 Vasil Lomachenko 10 rounds in May of last year.
Unbeaten Scots hopefuls Charlie Flynn and Joe Ham will also be on the bill.
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