Ricky Burns cool on all-Scottish world title bout with Josh Taylor

Ricky Burns is keen to focus on his fight against Julius Indongo

Ricky Burns has played down the prospect of defending his WBA world super-lightweight title against fellow Scot Josh Taylor.

The Prestonpans boxer spoke last month of a desire to fight Burns, ideally at Edinburgh Castle, once he himself had come through two more contests.

However, 33-year-old Burns, who fights IBF world champion Julius Indongo on 15 April, has his sights elsewhere.

"There are so much bigger fights out there for me," he told BBC Scotland.

"Josh is a great guy, I get on really well with him," Burns added. "I've done a bit of sparring with him before, and he's a great fighter as well.

"Whenever I've been out and about, especially back home, people have been asking me about it, but I'm just not even entertaining it, not at all."

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Coatbridge's Burns is based in Brentwood, where he is trained by Tony Sims. He has said repeatedly throughout his career that he prefers "to take one fight at a time".

Burns' immediate challenge is to prevent Namibia's Indongo leaving Glasgow's SSE Hydro next month with his WBA belt, which he won by defeating Michele Di Rocco last May and defended against the impressive Belarusian Kiryl Relikh in October.

"We're expecting a hard fight," said Burns of Indongo. "He's a big, tall southpaw with a long range. I think he's going to be really awkward, especially to start with, but me and [trainer] Tony [Sims] have been working on a few things."

Should Burns register his 42nd win in 48 bouts, then Scotland's first three-weight world champion will have added Indongo's IBF to his collection as a fighter at 140lb, having won world titles previously at super-featherweight (130lb) and lightweight (135lb).

Josh Taylor, flanked by Terry McCormack (second left, his coach at Edinburgh's Lochend Amateur Boxing Club), trainer Shane McGuigan (third from right) and manager Barry McGuigan (second from right)

Ricky's 'Rocky belt' dream

With his fighter holding two of the belts at super-lightweight, Burns' manager Eddie Hearn would be in a strong negotiating position to set up a second bout against the classy Nebraskan southpaw Terence Crawford, who holds the WBC and WBO versions, possibly in Glasgow, Omaha or Las Vegas.

Crawford beat Burns in Glasgow in March 2014 with an outstanding display of speed and boxing skill.

Crawford also holds the strap most coveted by Burns, that awarded by Ring Magazine to the fighters its editorial panel consider to be the best in each weight class.

"Even now that is the only belt I've ever wanted," said Burns, who refers to it as "the Rocky belt".

"Terence Crawford has got that and the WBO and the WBC.

"I've got a tough fight on my hands against Indongo, but if it all goes to plan I would be up for that."

Who next... if Burns can beat Indongo?

Other possible opponents for Burns, Hearn and Sims to consider would be the Ukrainian Viktor Postol, who lost his WBC belt to Crawford last summer, the WBA's third-ranked fighter Rances Barthelemy (Relikh separates Burns and the Cuban), the erratic American Adrien Broner or the unbeaten US-based Mexican Antonio Orozco.

Taylor, 26, is unbeaten since turning professional after winning gold at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow in 2014.

Managed by Barry McGuigan, he is now Commonwealth super-lightweight champion, and will defend his title against South Africa's Warren Joubert at Meadowbank on 24 March.

"I feel that if I fought Ricky next week I'd win," Taylor told BBC Scotland last month. "I have confidence in my ability.

"I feel as if I need a little bit more experience at the level I'm at just now, get more rounds under my belt and be involved in a few good, testing fights before I get that chance to have a world title fight."

Adrien Broner lands a punch on the jaw of Adrian Granados during their fight in February. Broner has fought at welterweight and could struggle to make the 140lb limit if he faced Burns