Ricky Burns defended his WBO lightweight belt for the second time in sensational style when he bludgeoned Kevin Mitchell to a fourth-round stoppage at the SECC in Glasgow.

The Coatbridge champion was at his most impressive in front of a partisan crowd as he made it 20 wins in a row against the brave Dagenham fighter, who was sent crashing to the canvas twice before referee Terry O'Connor stepped in to prevent further punishment.

Mitchell, the former British and Commonwealth super-featherweight champion, admitted defeat would force him to consider hanging up his gloves and Burns, with this superb performance, may well have confirmed that decision.

By contrast, the 29-year-old Scotsman arguably put in the best performance of his career and looks like he is ready to mix it with the best at this weight.

"The whole build-up went perfectly. I've been feeling so much stronger. My confidence is there too, but I felt so much stronger. I said I'll try and suss him out in the first round. When I had him on the ropes I wanted to rough him up and it worked. On Monday I'll be on the phone to Frank Warren. Hopefully we can push for a unification fight, it would be a dream come true," Burns said.

Promoter Frank Warren said of Burns: "This guy is going to unify titles. He'll fight again this year. There aren't many guys in the world at his weight. He should be proud of what he's done for Scotland."