On December 19 at the Rainton Arena in Sunderland, former three division world champion Ricky Burns marked his return with a win as he overcame Emiliano Dominguez Rodriguez by unanimous decision.

It was the first time Burns (44-8-1, 16 knockouts) was back in action since October 2019, and the three-weight world champion received a tremendous reception from the fans in attendance.

It was a controlled performance from the Scotsman, once again showing the wide array of tools he has at his disposal, with the three judges eventually scoring it 100-91, 99-91 and 98-92 in his favor as he returned to winning ways.

For Burns, it was his first bout with a new team - including the first fight of his new promotional deal with Probellum.

“I’m so happy to finally get back in there. It was a long time coming, that was my first in over two years. It was good to go in there, get the 10 rounds, hopefully shake some of that rust off, and I’m looking forward to the next one, now. Going into the fight we knew it was going to be a tough night’s work," Burns told the Lanarkshire Live Sport.

“At the start especially I was feeling a bit rusty, things weren’t coming together, we were getting in close and I felt that he was getting first off to his shots. He was being really dirty with his head and stuff like that as well, so I was doing what I had to do – tying him up, walking him back, not letting him work inside, and trying to get my shots off at range. It’s my first fight in two years, so being rusty was expected. I wouldn’t say I’m back to my best, because there is room there for improvement. Boxing is one of these sports where there’s always room for improvement.

“All in all, I’m so happy to get the win and I’m looking forward to the next one. No names have been mentioned, but they’re talking March or April-time, possibly in Glasgow, which would be good. When I first teamed up with MTK and Probellum I said I would love to get another big night in Glasgow, and I think that will eventually happen. I’m not sure if it’s going to be this one – but fingers crossed that it is."