Ricky Burns will face unbeaten Namibian Julius Indongo in a WBA and IBF junior welterweight unification bout in Glasgow, Scotland, on April 15.

Burns, who is rated No. 6 by THE RING at 140 pounds, became a three-weight world titleholder when he won the WBA strap with an eighth-round stoppage of Michele Di Rocco in his hometown last May. The teak-tough Scotsman then successfully defended the belt with a 12-round unanimous decision win over Kiryl Relikh in October.

Meanwhile, Indongo, who is rated No. 7 by THE RING, ripped the IBF title from the previously unbeaten Eduard Troyanovsky with a sensational 40 second first-round knockout in December.

“When Julius Indongo knocked out Eduard Troyanovsky he was immediately an opponent I was interested in,” said Burns. “Indongo can clearly punch and that’s an impressive way to win a world title, especially in Russia. It was some shot he hit Troyanovsky with.

“It’s a huge fight in the division and the kind of fights I need to be involved in at this stage of my career. There were other names talked about but I wanted the toughest, most dangerous fight out there. Indongo was that man. He is a big, tall, rangy, southpaw but bring it on. I have no fear of anyone and it is only the massive fights for me now.”

Burns continued, “Fighting in Glasgow is special for me, the crowd has been electric (on) the last two occasions and I expect it to be no different this time. Their support means the world to me, the crowd has always behind me and I want to put in a big performance for them again. The last card was really good with some top local talent and I’m excited to see who else is on this one.”

“It’s an absolute honor for me to fight Ricky, who I regard as an accomplished champion,” said Indongo. “I respect what he has achieved so far but I’m going to Scotland to (take) his belt. I know it won’t be easy but I’m comforted by the fact that I have a good team and passionate Namibian fans. I have every intention of making them smile and unifying the division on April 15.”

Information provided courtesy of a press release by Matchroom Boxing

Tickets for April 15 go on Matchroom Fight Pass Pre-Sale at midday on Monday, January 23, priced £40, £60, £100 and £200 VIP. Tickets go on general sale at midday on Tuesday, January 24 with tickets priced £40, £60, £100 available at www.thessehydro.com and £200 VIP exclusively at www.matchroomboxing.com.

Tom Gray is a UK Correspondent/ Editor for RingTV.com and a member of THE RING ratings panel. Follow him on Twitter: @Tom_Gray_Boxing

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