WBA world super-lightweight champion Ricky Burns insists he will not be distracted by a potential fight with Adrien Broner when he takes on Kiryl Relikh this weekend.
The three-weight world champion will defend his title in Glasgow on Friday night and he comes into the fight under plenty of pressure.
Relikh has charged up the rankings since turning pro, and he has won 19 of his 21 fights inside the distance. Burns insists he is not worried about his power, nor the potential distraction of a fight against Broner.
The American will be ringside for the fight and promoter Eddie Hearn admits Burns could face him in his next bout, as long as he defends the title.
Despite the rumours and added pressure, Burns is confident of getting the job done. He told Sky Sports: “It’s all anyone seems to be asking all week.
He’s announced that he’s coming over for the fight, apparently. I’ve said when I’m doing my interviews that I can’t entertain any of it now. They all seem to be looking past Kiryl but he’s got my full attention.
“If I don’t come through this then these big fights aren’t going to happen and we know we’ve got a tough fight on our hands Friday night so we’re concentrating on that for now.
“My attitude towards training is still the same. If you ask Tony [Sims] or any of the guys I train with then they all say that I’m off my nut sometimes with the way I’m pushing myself all the time in every session.”
Burns is the 1.29 favourite for Friday’s clash, with the draw 26.00 while Relikh is priced at odds of 3.75 to come out on top.
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