Ricky Burns insists he will not let hopes of fulfilling his American dream deter him from his fourth defence of his world boxing title against Raymundo Beltran.
It was confirmed that the WBO lightweight champion will face the highly-rated Mexican at the SECC in Glasgow on September 7.
The Scotsman’s last outing in his home city last month saw him survive a scare against Jose Gon-zalez as the Puerto Rican rattled the Coatbridge fighter before retiring ahead of the 10th round.
The 30-year-old’s promoter Eddie Hearn says the test posed by Beltran, who has won 28 of his 34 fights, including 17 stoppages, could be just what is needed to finally persuade US broadcasters that Burns is box-office material.
He said: “This is a real credible fight that a lot of people will take notice of in America. They have seen a lot of Beltran and they like what they see.
“He’s a come-forward fighter, very tough, very aggressive. He likes to stand and trade and is coming off the back of three great wins. He beat Hank Lundy who is a big prospect in America. He also beat Ji-Hoon Kim who is a former world champion.
Burns has long stated that his dream is to one day fight in either New York or Las Vegas for the coveted Ring Magazine title but he insists Hearn’s long-term plans are not for him to consider just yet.
“That’s the sort of thing that you want to hear your promoter saying talking about big fights and going to America,” said Burns. “But I’ve always said one fight at a time.
“I know I’ve got a tough fight here and if I don’t come through on September 7 then these fights aren’t going to happen. So right now, Beltran has my full attention.”