EDDIE HEARN today questioned Terence Crawford's ability to cope with fighting in 'the most intense boxing environment in the UK'.

The next big thing from across the pond arrived in Glasgow yesterday, just six days before he is due to face Ricky Burns for the latter's WBO lightweight title.

The ebullient Matchroom chief, who is now pulling the promotional strings of the champion's career, reckons that Crawford will struggle to cope with the unnerving welcome afforded him by the SECC on Saturday on his first foray abroad.

In the past, the likes of the legendary Jim Watt benefited from the ferocity of the home support he received at another famous Glasgow venue, the Kelvin Hall.

Now Hearn, drawing from his experience of promoting Burns on Scottish soil, rates the Glasgow welcome as the most intense fight experience awaiting a foreign pugilist in the United Kingdom.

The fight supremo said: "I don't want to over-egg the pudding here but in my opinion the welcome, if you can call it that, from a Glasgow crowd is the most, how shall I say, intense, in the UK.

"I put on shows all over the country in London, Liverpool, Manchester, Cardiff and Nottingham, you name it I have promoted a show there and none of them beat the intensity of a Glasgow crowd backing Ricky Burns.

"But Saturday I expect will be up another level in that regard, it will be ferocious. That is because people know what Ricky has been through and the type of courage he displayed against Raymundo Beltran. To box on with a broken jaw for 10 rounds was way above and beyond the call of duty.

"The Glasgow crowd know what it means to Ricky to be Scotland's only world champion and they will do everything to help him stay that way by the close of business on Saturday night."

Hearn continued: "But the other aspect of this is that Terence Crawford has never boxed abroad, never mind fought in Glasgow. It is going to take a very special type of boxer to cope with what is waiting for Terence Crawford when he climbs through the ropes and I will be looking into his eyes on Saturday night to see if he can come up to the mark and cope with all of that."

Indeed there are remarkable similarities between Burns' fifth defence of the WBO lightweight title against the unbeaten, heavily hyped Yank and Gentleman Jim Watt's battle with another much- touted scrapper from the States, Howard Davis Jnr, back on June 7, 1980, at Ibrox.

At 31, Watt's (Burns is 30) best days were supposedly behind him while in Davis Jnr, he faced an unbeaten, considerably younger American pugilistic poster boy, who was the reigning Olympic gold medallist at the Montreal Games in 1976.

Yet Watt's gnarled ring nous prevailed and Hearn, despite the fact that Crawford is already a short-odds favourite, fancies Burns to also upset the betting apple cart.

Hearn said: "Look the bottom line is that if Ricky doesn't produce his best he will lose. Crawford is the Golden Boy of the Top Rank stable and HBO TV alliance, he is so highly rated across the pond it is unbelievable. But you know what? He has never fought anyone like Ricky Burns.

"It's all on the line for Ricky and that is usually when he comes up trumps."

Only time will tell.

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