THIS IS RICKY’S TICKET TO LAS VEGAS
BURNS’ DATE WITH DESTINY Sims: 12-week training camp means Burns is ready for the fight of his life
TRAINER Tony Sims insists Ricky Burns has put in the hard yards because he knows he is facing the fight of his life this weekend.
The three-weight world champion takes on Julius Indongo at the Hydro in Scotland’s first unification bout with the WBA and IBF super lightweight titles on the line.
Sims put the Coatbridge fighter – who turns 34 today – through his paces in a gruelling 12-week training camp in Essex and he insisted his man knows what is at stake.
The trainer said: “I’ve been telling him all the way through this training camp this contest on Saturday is the biggest and most important fight of his life.
“This is the one that will open the doors to the megabucks fights in the States he’s been waiting for his whole career.
“He needs to win and that’s why he’s prepared so diligently for it. I’ll be absolutely elated if he beats Indongo because I know what it means to him and his family – it could make them financially secure for the rest of their lives.
“Ricky has always wanted to box in Las Vegas and this is his big chance.”
Sims is hoping victory on Saturday would finally set up a showdown with US livewire Adrien Broner. A proposed fight between the two fell through before Christmas but would be back on the table if Burns can deal with Indongo.
Sims said: “I wasn’t too worried when the Broner fight fell through because I believe that everything happens for a reason and if Ricky unifies these titles on Saturday,
It could make his family financially secure for the rest of their lives TONY SIMS
a fight against Broner will always be there.
“I’ve heard he’s touring over here at the moment and is planning to turn up at Ricky’s press conference on Thursday.
“So that fight will be there if Ricky beats Indongo but so too will the rematch against Terence Crawford, who holds the other titles and The Ring belt, which is the one Ricky has always wanted.”
Indongo threatens to be an awkward opponent with Burns admitting he doesn’t enjoy facing tall southpaws.
But Sims said: “I’ve had to change some of the things he’d been doing. They say old dogs can’t learn new tricks but Ricky is one of those fighters who can change.
“Part of that comes with experience but he can also adapt his tactics in the middle of a fight as well as at training. He’s a special sort of fighter.
“If you teach him something he might not get it there and then but he’ll go away and think about it – a lot. Then he’ll try it out and make that special move or certain combination work for him.
“He brings it all together through sheer effort. He puts everything into his training and makes things happen.”
Sims has been stunned by Burns’s ferocious attitude. He said: “We’ve been training since the first week in January and I know all trainers say this but we’ve had an especially good camp.
“To prepare for Indongo we brought in a lot of different southpaws for sparring and he’s probably put in his best work in my time with him for this one.
“We’ve had good sparring, no injuries and he’s in fantastic condition. He’s probably in the best shape of his whole career.
“In the past the hardest thing for me at times was to stop Ricky from working too hard but we have a programme now and he sticks to it religiously.
“He was training seven days a week when he first came to me but he then had to adapt to my routine and he’s done that.”