JOE CALZAGHE has backed Ricky Burns to come again in his bid to be crowned world champion for a third time.

British boxing icon Calzaghe, who retired unbeaten after 46 fights in 2008, will be inducted as a first-time nominee inductee at the Boxing Hall of Fame in Canastota later this year alongside fellow fight legends Oscar de la Hoya and Felix Trinidad.

But the former unified world super-middleweight champion, who did not quit undefeated until he was 36, reckons 30-year-old Burns still has time on his side and has advised the Scot to take a domestic bust-up with Mancunian Anthony Crolla as a stepping stone back to world title glory.

Calzaghe said: "First of all Ricky Burns has done a tremendous job to have become a world champion at two different weights and have 10 world title fights under his belt. He should be proud of his achievements in the ring.

"The broken jaw he sustained against Raymundo Beltran was a factor against Terence Crawford.

"I think the best way for him to put that to bed is to drop down and take a tough domestic fight with the likes of Crolla and use that as a platform to come again for a world title.

"For me age is just a number and at almost 31 Ricky is not old when you compare him to myself who quit at 36 or even my old rival Bernard Hopkins, who is still defying time at 49.

"But Ricky will know in his heart of hearts whether his jaw was a problem against Crawford and after sustaining an injury like that I would struggle to see how it wasn't.

"On top of that when any fighter comes off a loss in a really big world title fight, like Ricky had with Crawford, then in my opinion the smart move is to take a fight that will allow you to re-group mentally and physically.

"A fight with Anthony Crolla is just the smart fight for Ricky. In short it ticks all the boxes."

If, as seems increasingly likely a Burns versus Crolla fight is on it's way for summer then Calzaghe, who will become only the third Welshman to be inducted into the Boxing Hall Of Fame behind Jimmy Wilde and Tommy Farr, has no doubt about who would come out on top.

He said: "Ricky holds all the aces. He has campaigned at world title level over two weights for three years or so, he has just operated at a higher level than Crolla.

"While this would be the biggest fight of Crolla's career, it would be just another fight for Ricky. So he just has such a big advantage in terms of experience and if Ricky goes into that fight happy and confident in himself then, for me, he wins."

Looking back on his own career, which included 22 world title fights and two victories in Ring Magazine belt battles against US legends Hopkins and Roy Jones, Calzaghe is sure in his mind who was the hardest nut to crack.

The undefeated ring legend said: "Hopkins was the toughest of the lot because he gave you absolutely nothing to work with.

"Being knocked down in the first round didn't help but I got the job done and I have achieved everything I could have wanted in boxing.

"Now to be inducted into the Hall Of Fame with de la Hoya and Trinidad is just the icing on the cake."

Joe Calzaghe was a guest of the Prince and Princess of Wales Hospice Sportsman's Dinner, at the Hilton Glasgow, which was sponsored by Barr in aid of the Brick-By-Brick Appeal.