Ricky Burns aims for history on return to Scotland

Burns has been sparring in public to promote Saturday's title fight

Ricky Burns is looking forward to boxing on home soil again as he bids to become Scotland's first three-weight world champion.

The 33-year-old takes on Italian Michele Di Rocco for the vacant WBA super-lightweight title at Glasgow's SSE Hydro on Saturday.

The Coatbridge fighter has not been in front of a Scottish crowd since losing to Dejan Zlaticanin in June 2014.

"It's always good to come home," said Burns.

"I've been on the road for the last couple of years fighting down in England a lot and over in Texas as well."

Burns is a former WBO super-featherweight and lightweight champion and took the WBO inter-continental lightweight title in November.

That 11th-round stoppage of Josh King in Liverpool came after he had lost three of his previous four fights.

"I know this is a big opportunity for me," said Burns of his match-up with Di Rocco, the 34-year-old who has lost only once in 42 bouts.

"You're not going to get a bigger fight than a third world title at a third weight, so I need to make sure I go out there and win.

"We know it's going to be a hard fight but it's a winnable fight for me.

"But I'm just treating it as any other fight. If I win, only then will I sit down and think what an achievement it is."

Burns, who will compete in the 10-stone division for the first time at the weekend, said: He said: "Training has gone spot on. I've made the weight comfortably.

"I tried to stay big in camp and obviously the week before the fight start cutting down.

"But my weight has started dropping a lot quicker than I planned it to, so things couldn't go any better."