By Chris LaBate
According to a report on STV, Ricky Burns will be without home advantage in his pursuit of the interim-WBO lightweight title after the venue of his upcoming bout with Michael Katsidis was switched to the 12,500 capacity Wembley Arena on November 12. Burns was initially scheduled to fight Katsidis at Glasgow’s Kelvin Hall, but manager Alec Morrison confirmed the switch to London after a meeting with promoter Frank Warren.
Burns said: “People have already started to write me off before I’ve even thrown a punch but that doesn’t really bother me because I’m used to being the underdog. But I know this will be a tough fight because Katsidis is a good boxer. If I’m being honest I would have preferred the Kelvin Hall because it has a great atmosphere with the Glasgow crowd behind you but I really just want to get in the ring.”
Also on the card, George Groves defends the British/Commonwealth super middleweight titles against former champion Paul Smith. The fight was originally slated for the Echo Arena in Liverpoll on December 17.