Magic Man was on the shortlist for the Scotsman
Wednesday 11 January 2017 17:37, UK
Ricky Burns can lure Adrien Broner into a big money fight if he wins his unification clash with Julius Indongo, says Sky Sports expert Paulie Malignaggi.
I was in discussions to get that fight with Burns, but it was a weight that I hadn't made in seven years.
There were only certain things that would make me even consider returning to 140lbs and obviously a shot at a world title was definitely one of those things. I was on a list of people they were negotiating with and ultimately they went with the Julius Indongo unification fight.
A piece of me was disappointed because I wasn't getting a world title shot, and then there was a piece of me which was relieved, because I didn't have to make the weight class which would have been a very difficult thing to do.
Indongo is a bit of a mystery man. I saw the first-round knockout he had over Eduard Troyanovsky, but even then you're not seeing a lot. He lands a big overhand shot and knocks out Troyanovsky - I'm not quite sure what to expect from him.
Ricky having the home crowd is certainly something he's going to like. Being the champion and getting a unification fight in your house gives you certain advantages. Indongo has travelled before, he was in Russia when he knocked out Troyanovsky, so he will have no problems coming to Scotland.
If Burns gets the two belts by beating Indongo, it makes it a lot easier to get bigger names. I'm sure Adrien Broner would jump at the opportunity to pick up two belts in one night and I think a lot of big names would take that opportunity.
If and when the phone rings, I would decide. I wasn't really considering it until the opportunity was presented to me by Eddie Hearn and Matchroom promotions. I don't say never, but I don't say for sure that I would jump at it either.