Boxing: Defeated Ricky Burns vows to 'come again' after losing WBA super-lightweight title to Julius Indongo
Ricky
Burns hinted that he would continue boxing after losing his WBA
super-lightweight belt to Julius Indongo in a unification clash at the
SSE Hydro in Glasgow.
The
34-year-old was outclassed in a unaninimous points decision - one of
the judges awarded Indongo all 12 rounds - but Scotland's first
three-weight world champion suggested post-fight that a tough night
against the awkward and rangy southpaw from Namibia would not be his
last in the ring.
"The
better man won, no excuses; he was so, so awkward," he said. "He was a
lot better than we thought he was going to be. He can hit as well - he
caught me a few times in there.
"I'll
go again, I'm going to have all the doubters saying 'Oh, Ricky's
finished', but we'll sit down with Eddie (Hearn, his promoter) and work
out what's next.
"But
I'll come again. We wanted to feel his power - we wanted to take the
sting out of him. I just couldn't get over his height and reach
advantage."
The impressive Indongo extended his own record to 22-0 and now holds the IBF, IBO and WBA titles.
Indongo
had made a cut-throat sign to Burns at the weigh-in on Friday afternoon
at the St Enoch centre in
Glasgow, but there appeared to be little real
niggle between the two fighters in the build-up to the encounter
Burns
was on the back foot from the first bell as Indongo came in swinging,
marking the cheek of the Coatbridge fighter in the first round, albeit
it may have come from a clash of heads.
The
African connected with a couple of fine left hooks in the second and
kept Burns on the retreat, although the home fighter's defence was solid
enough.
The
local fighter showcased more of his talent in the next couple of rounds
and the fans came alive in the sixth when a thumping right hand found
its way through but Indongo's reach advantage continued to pose
problems.
The
man from Namibia looked to be running out of steam which made it easier
for Burns to connect and the seventh was his best round with a couple
of good combinations no doubt impressing the judges.
The
fans sensed the contest might be turning towards their man but Indongo
responded in the eighth with some powerful rights and once again Burns
was on the defensive and looking ill at ease.
In
the final round Burns fell to the floor. It was deemed a slip but a
sense of foreboding enveloped the arena, confirmed by the judges'
scorecards.
"I feel very proud to take the titles back to Namibia," he said.
"It's so amazing, it's for all of Africa, I'm so happy. I'm very happy for the fans that came in numbers."
POSTED BY:OPUOMONI PRIYE
DATE:04/16/2017
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