Ricky Burns vs. Alexandre Lepelley: Fight Time, Date, TV Info and More

If Ricky Burns (36-4-1, 11 KO) doesn't beat Alexandre Lepelley (17-1-1, 3 KO), he should retire from the sport of boxing. Pardon me if that sounds blunt, but Burns' situation is plain and simple.

The former featherweight and lightweight champion is coming off four straight less-than-impressive performances. He came away with the loss in the last two. This bout against the lesser-known Lepelley is the epitome of a must-win bout.

Lepelley is actually a late replacement for Esteban Gonzalez, per Edward Chaykovsky of Boxing Scene. The Frenchman is gravely inexperienced compared to Burns' usual competition, and his modest KO total implies he doesn't bring a ton of power into the ring.

It could be an easy night for Burns; then again, he is moving up in weight to 140 pounds. There is at least a glimmer of uncertainty as to how well he'll handle the weight. Want to find out for yourself? Here's how you can watch.

When: Saturday, October 4, 3:30 p.m. ET

Where: First Direct Arena, Leeds, Yorkshire, United Kingdom

TV: Sky Sports 2

Will the Going Be Easier at 140 Pounds?

Mark Runnacles/Getty Images

It feels as if Burns is on a journey to find the weight class where he can still compete on a world-class level. He's going to try his hand at light welterweight.

His manager, Alex Morrison, thinks it's time Burns move up. Per Phil Goodlad of BBC.com, Morrison blames Burns' struggle to make weight for the fighter's poor recent perfomances.  

Morrison said: "Ricky was finding it harder to make the weight, he was virtually eating nothing before the weigh-in. I think that had a lot to do with his last three performances."

Burns is known for his toughness and resiliency. If he can ascend in the rankings and face the bigger punchers at 140 pounds, he'll need those qualities. While Lepelley doesn't bring the type of TNT into the bout that, say, Ruslan Provodnikov would, the increased size and power of light welterweights is something for Burns and his team to consider looking ahead.

Can he take the punch of a strong light welterweight? Perhaps an even bigger question is: Can he make 140-pounders respect him? At smaller weight classes throughout his career, Burns has only managed to stop 11 opponents.

Those are issues that may not rear their heads on Saturday but can't be ignored in the future.

Who is Alexandre Lepelley?

If you're not in his camp, you probably don't know the answer to that question. The 32-year-old has never had a fight scheduled for more than eight rounds, and he's rarely fought outside of France.

There's next to nothing to see of him on YouTube, which could be seen as an indication of his skill level. However, boxing is a crazy sport that can sometimes surprise. 

Lepelley will be hoping he can be the newest one.

Prediction

From the brief video I saw of Lepelley, it didn't appear as though speed was one of his assets. Because he seems to lack power, it's going to be hard to imagine him beating Burns without having an advantage in either category.

Burns is still a skilled fighter, but he's seemingly had issues against more physically talented opponents of late. 

That won't be the case on Saturday. He'll likely get the stoppage win and confidence boost he needs to push him into his next bout.

Follow Brian Mazique on Twitter. I dig boxing and MMA.