Fight legend Jim Watt believes Ricky Burns will have to go the distance with WBO super featherweight champion Roman Martinez if he is to become Scotland’s 12th world champion.

It was on April 17, 1979, that Watt ascended to the WBC lightweight throne when he stopped Colombian Alfredo Pitalua at the Kelvin Hall, in the 12th round of a gruelling battle.

But the Scottish boxing great, who will be ringside tomorrow night in his capacity as Sky Sports summariser, reckons Burns will have to rely on a points win to lift the world crown.

Watt admits that the Puerto Rican champion will start as favourite to make a successful third defence of the title he won with a brutal fourth round destruction of Englishman Nicky Cook last year.

Jim said: “I am afraid I can’t make Ricky the favourite, but that doesn’t mean he can’t become world champion.

“Martinez, though, is a good champion and a very big hitter and, as he showed when he beat Nicky Cook, he travels well.

“For me Ricky is going to have to be very disciplined with his boxing and he is going to have to go the full 12 rounds if he wants the win and the world title.

“But Ricky is a very good boxer off the back foot and he is capable of doing that and keeping Martinez on the end of his jab.

“That said, when you have someone with the power that Martinez has in either hand it is a very big ask to shut your opponent out for the duration.

“So there will come a time when Ricky is forced into the trenches and it will be how he reacts to it that will decide if he can do it.”

Watt’s epic win over Pitalua was met by wild scenes of joy in the Kelvin Hall on that distant night 31 years ago, scenes that have never been witnessed since in Scottish boxing.

Watt went on to make four successful title defences before losing out on points to the great Alexis Arguello at Wembley, which was at the time a British record for world title wins.

The living legend admits we desperately need a world champion to help lift the profile of the sport he loves.Gentleman Jim said: “I think the whole sport gets a lift when we have a professional world champion.

“If you look back to when Scott Harrison was the champion at featherweight we had regular TV dates on Sky, Braehead was getting sold out and our up-and- coming fighters were also being featured on national TV on the undercards.

“That gave the pro scene north of the border a lift that we have not had since. So there is a lot riding on how Ricky does tomorrow night.”

In a contest that is a classic boxer versus banger match, Watt believes Burns has the style to trouble his opponent.

The former WBC world lightweight champion said: “Ricky has a reach advantage over Martinez and he also has faster hands and if he uses both to his advantage then Martinez is going to find it hard to set himself for the bombs he likes to throw.

“But Ricky is also tall for a super featherweight and that will make it tough for him to keep his chin tucked down for the duration of the fight.

“So Ricky can do it, but it is going to take a career-best performance. If he does pull it off then becoming a world champion will change his life forever.”