Safe Side Of The Ropes

By: Andrew Harrison

Sep 05 2010

Category: danny flexen, jim watt, kelvin hall, ricky burns, rocky martinez, roman martinez

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Sometimes it feels really cool to be rendered clueless.

Ricky Burns stood logic on its head in ignoring nerves, form and the spiteful punching of Roman Martinez to pull of an astonishing, fairytale win on Saturday evening in Glasgow. The bookmakers may have posted him a mere 3/1 outsider against the overwhelming 2/9 favourite in Martinez, but for many trained watchers, he might as well have been 10 times that.

Danny Flexen, senior writer for Boxing News described Martinez as being “leagues ahead” of Burns and labelled the WBO (who sanctioned the bout as being for their super featherweight world title), “a joke for making Burns the mandatory”. Not once in any of the various preview pieces I flicked through in the build up did I find a realistic case offered on behalf of the Coatbridge man. He never had a hope.

And here’s the real mind boggler. Burns, it was figured beforehand, would have to use his mobility, jab and awkwardness to even survive into the second half of the contest. Now, logic of this nature is a nice guide rope and assures writers and commentators of their nous and their position, yet it can be twisted. It can be throttled and strangled and bent into a completely different guise entirely if a rebellious type can will themselves to do the mangling as Burns managed here.

Burns not only took the fight to the supremely confident Martinez, he rocked his man throughout a wonderfully engaging contest, one which must surely find itself in the melting pot when it comes time to debate 2010’s fight of the year.

This wasn’t a case of a rabid home crowd helping to pad out a fighter’s armoury. For Burns, they might as well not have been there at all. This was all about who he was as a fighter; who he’d been thus far and who he wanted to become. Despite looking uneasy on his approach to the ring, he’d already made a pact with himself. As former WBC lightweight champion Jim Watt had hoped and preempted in commentary from ringside, he was going to show the world something they’d never seen from him previously.

The Scottish camp had deduced that Martinez malfunctioned when forced to retreat and Burns quickly set about his man, a tactic as surprising as it was brilliant. Clearly the better technician of the two, he looked to have stolen the opener before Martinez displayed the power which has lofted him into world class when he crashed a right hand home and dumped Ricky onto the seat of his pants. It was a helluva punch from the Puerto Rican, yet Burns rose despite the seismic slap of reality he’d just sampled, informed his corner he was okay and rode out the round.

If Roman had banked on blasting Burns out of his hair when he first landed in Scotland, he was utterly convinced that he’d manage it now and he parked what little boxing technique he’d brought through customs on his stool as he went out to settle the row. Wrong move. Burns – perhaps feeling that if he was in the last chance saloon he might as well have a bloody good drink before he went flying out of the window – let it all hang out and belted Martinez repeatedly to head and body to put himself right back into the contest.

Over the next handful of rounds Burns – now fighting in another dimension - poured all over Martinez who appeared ragged, disorganised and tetchy as a result. After controlling the majority of the sessions, Burns would then cop a humdinger from the wild and now crazy-as-a-hornet’s-nest visitor in his attempt to eliminate Ricky with violent and wince inducing volleys.

As well as Burns was fighting, one always had the sense that Martinez was a smidgen away from cancelling out the deficit with a well timed knockout blow. Even after Ricky hurt his man towards the end of the fifth and the bewildered Martinez plopped onto his stool with an expression suggesting he’d dipped his toe into a bathtub of boiling water, it still seemed improbable that the Scot would win the fight.

Despite the bout’s course, Martinez remained incorrigible and he steamed into his immense source of irritation in the seventh. The curtain hovered over Burns as he took a pounding against the strands with the referee looming ominously, poised to intervene. Yet he hung on.

The remainder of the argument was duked out furiously. Martinez would at times resemble a child throwing a tantrum with his emaciated frame and elfish features, flailing away for the knockout he felt was his by right. Ricky would hook, uppercut, cover up, pivot, move and belt Martinez with head spinning punches whilst the Puerto Rican whirling dervish focussed on one course of action and one only; to remove Ricky’s head from his neck.

Over the fight’s final third they battled each other almost to a standstill, unconcerned with pacing themselves, holding onto punches or planning ahead. It isn’t often that two men will arrive at the same conclusion and fight in such a manner. On the final bell Burns wheeled away in jubilation and celebrated amid a delirious Kelvin Hall prior to being awarded a unanimous decision by scores of 115-112 (twice) and 115-113.

It was an amazing triumph, one which returned boxing ever so briefly back to the summit of sporting endeavour. This was a man who refused to be bound by his own limitations, or by the criticism of others. Ricky Burns managed to seize the day in the most admirable manner and in the hardest way imaginable. It warrants any sentiment which may have seeped into this post and all of the admiration this writer can offer. It’s nights like this one which drew me into this godforsaken sport in the first place.

It was a Rocky night alright for Ricky, just not the one I and many others had expected. Good for him.

Undercard action saw rookie Stephen “Swifty” Smith take his first professional title in a tense and tight victory over veteran John Simpson for the Commonwealth featherweight crown. Smith (who moves to 11-0, 6 kayos) was the harder hitter and classier boxer from distance, whilst Simpson had his best spells in close, where Smith looked bereft at times.

Smith’s immense self confidence carried the day as he edged a split decision 116-112, 116-114 and 114-116 and the Liverpudlian showed real class in praising his opponent afterwards. “Swifty” must now work diligently on learning to fight inside if he is to progress and have any realistic hope of dethroning British champ Martin Lindsay. Simpson falls to 21-7 (9 kayos).

Photo credit: Joel A. Colon