By Edward Chaykovsky

Promoter Eddie Hearn of Matchroom Sports says former lightweight champion Ricky Burns (36-4-1, 11KOs) will make his junior welterweight debut on a September 13th card in Manchester. Last month Burns lost for the second consecutive time, with a shocking decision loss to unknown Dejan Dzlaticanin. Burns has struggled in several of his recent fights at 135.

If Burns wins in September, Hearn would love to make a big showdown in Scotland between Burns and domestic rival Scott Harrison (27-3-2, 15KOs).

“Getting down to the weight has been a factor in the past couple of fights so it’s time for Ricky to up a division. He’ll have a 10-rounder at light-welter in Manchester. It won’t be an easy fight but a step in the right direction. We wanted to take Ricky out of Scotland for this one. There’s a lot of hype and expectation on him on home soil and it will do him good to go away from that pressure," Hearn told Daily Record.

“All going well then it will be a big domestic fight – and they don’t come much bigger than Scott Harrison. It’s a fight that’s been talked about for a long time in Scotland. That is the biggest Scottish fight out there but there are plenty of options for both men.”