Should Burns bust-up his second Englishman on the bounce, after stopping Cockney Kevin Mitchell in four rounds at the SECC in September, he will be lined up to meet the winner of the WBC title fight between champion Anthony deMarco and American loudmouth Adrien Broner.
Burns is desperate to meet Broner who succeeded him as WBO super-featherweight champion when he was forced to move up to 135lbs after weight-making problems with the Yank subsequently claiming the Scot had run scared.
The 29-year-old said: "The big motivator is a showdown with Broner, who I was accused of avoiding last year. Since moving up to lightweight and winning the world title my stock and profile has increased and now that it's a unification fight it's a much bigger fight than before."
Walsh boasts an unbeaten 13-fight record with 10 stoppages. The most memorable of these came in a defence of the Commonwealth super-featherweight title when he stopped South Queensferry's Paul Appleby in the 10th round.
Currently ranked 13 by the WBO, Walsh has not boxed in the same class as the champion but Burns remains respectful of his latest challenger.
He said: "Walsh is a good strong fighter, he's unbeaten and this is his big chance to win the world title. I was ringside when he fought Appleby and he showed tremendous heart and strength to come through when he was deep in trouble. I'll be in the best shape possible and will leave nothing to chance for this one."
Walsh said: "To fight for the world title is my dream and I'm going to cause a big upset on December 15 at the Excel when I take the crown from Burns. It's always been on my mind that I would fight him one day and it's now here.
"He's a great champion, I've studied and watched him throughout his career and I know I've got the tools to beat him. He's looked great in the last few years and he did a stunning job on Mitchell.
"He's in the prime of his career now so when I beat him people will know that I've beaten the best."
Promoter Frank Warren believes his fight night, which also boasts Commonwealth super-middleweight champion George Groves against Glen Johnson and Billy Joe Saunders defending his Commonwealth middleweight title against Nick Blackwell, is a pre-Christmas cracker.
He said: "I've repeatedly said Ricky is Britain's most improved fighter and he did a real job on Kevin Mitchell last month.
"Even before Mitchell, he'd beaten two of the best in Roman Martinez and Michael Katsidis. Now he's facing a young, tough and unbeaten challenger in Walsh who's stepping up to the plate and really fancies the job.
"You've just got to watch his epic fight against Appleby from last year which was named one of the best of 2011. That one shows he loves to fight and he's got plenty of heart for a battle.
"For the winner of Burns and Walsh the new golden boy of American boxing, Adrien Broner, could be next with the WBC title on the line in a big unification showdown. That is a massive motivation for both men."
