RICKY BURNS has dispelled any lingering concerns over the titanium plate he has inserted in his jaw.

The WBO champion was in robust mood as he revealed that he has returned to full sparring without suffering a reaction from the horrific facial fracture he sustained in his last fight against Raymundo Beltran in September 2013.

Burns also revealed that he views his unbeaten American opponent Terence Crawford as the trickiest he will have faced in what will be 10 world title fights, when the duo get it on at the SECC on March 1.

The champion said: "I feel great and so does the jaw. I have a good 70 rounds under my belt already and there has been no reaction.

"The very first day in sparring I asked David Brophy to whack me on the jaw and he gave it his best shot and there was no reaction and I felt fine.

"That gave me a big boost and it has been all systems go since then. By the time we finish sparring I should have maybe 140 rounds under my belt and I will be in great shape for Crawford."

But Burns revealed that the tricky Yank has forced him to make some adjustments to his usual tried-and-tested preparations.

Burns said: "I don't usually tend to watch DVDs of my opponents but I have one of Mitchell and I will be watching it.

"We have also had to bring in sparring partners who can switch between orthodox and southpaw and I am dividing my sparring up between the two different styles to make sure I am ready for him switching.

"I have made a few other adjustments to my preparations though as this will be a completely different fight to the Beltran one.

"I would have to say that Crawford is probably the classiest operator I will have come up against and certainly the trickiest.

"But I will be ready for him and I think the fans will be in for a real treat."

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