Could Adrien Broner Be Next? Assessing Ricky Burns' Options for the Future

WBA super lightweight champion Ricky Burns made boxing history on Saturday.

In beating Michele Di Rocco, Burns became the first Scottish fighter to win world titles at three different weights.

The home favourite was far too good for his Italian opponent at the SSE Hydro in Glasgow, Scotland. After being knocked down in Round 3, Di Rocco was stopped in the eighth.

Does the achievement make the 33-year-old the best ever boxer to hail from Scotland? That is a debate for another day, one when Burns has finally hung up his gloves.

There is still plenty of fight left in him yet—so what are his options for the future?

Here, Bleacher Report breaks down the potential routes Burns could take, ranking them in order of preference.

Feel free to have your say via the comments section.

Honourable Mentions

After dismantling Di Rocco, Burns said, via Allan Valente of SkySports.com, "There is some big fights and some big names out there for me."

He's not wrong. The Rickster has options. Lots of options.

Lucas Matthysse is a recognised name at super lightweight. However, La Maquina has yet to announce his return since suffering a fractured left orbital bone against Viktor Postol last October.

Matthysse is also considering moving up to welterweight, according to Steve Sturges of BoxingNewsResults.com.

What about Lamont Peterson? Burns could attempt to do something that Amir Khan failed to achieve in beating the American.

Mauricio Herrera, Kiryl Relikh and Adrian Granados are all ranked highly by the WBO, too. However, none of the trio are big enough names for Burns to bother with.

And finally, Dejan Zlaticanin is a fighter Burns knows plenty about. The pair met in the summer of 2014 for the vacant WBC International lightweight title—and Zlaticanin came out on top.

5. Ruslan Provodnikov

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Ruslan Provodnikov could be given the chance to fight again for a world title.

Ruslan Provodnikov is a former holder of the WBO belt at super lightweight.

The American-based Russian, a former amateur star, has an excellent CV—it would be a real coup if Burns' team could get him to travel to Scotland.

Provodnikov came out on the wrong end of a majority-decision verdict against Matthysse last April.

However, he returned to winning ways against Jesus Alvarez Rodriguez in November the same year. His next outing will be against John Molina Jr. on June 11.

A bout with Burns, potentially in late autumn, would give Provodnikov a chance to get his old belt back.

It would also be a must-watch fight for fans on both sides of the Atlantic Ocean.

While Burns may be wanting a really big name at this stage of his career, Provodnikov would be an excellent alternative.

4. Terence Crawford

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Could Burns and Terence Crawford be set to meet again?

Burns and Terence Crawford have history.

Back in March 2014, having escaped with a dubious draw in his last outing against Raymundo Beltran, Burns put his WBO lightweight title on the line against Crawford.

The American was 22-0 at the time. Despite never previously fighting outside of the United States, he turned in an impressive performance to triumph on points in Glasgow.

Crawford's status in the sport has continued to rise ever since. As well as boasting an unblemished 28-fight record, he is now a two-weight world champion.

The holder of the WBO super lightweight title meets WBC holder Viktor Postol in a unification bout on July 23.

But what about a rematch with Burns, perhaps later in the year?

The new WBA champion is certainly keen.

Burns said in his post-fight interview, per the Press Association (h/t the Daily Mail): "At super lightweight, you have Terence Crawford, he is fighting Viktor Postol in a unification. I would fight him again if it came down to it. Why not?"

3. Omar Figueroa Jr.

Crawford isn't the only former foe Burns may want to face again.

Omar Figueroa Jr. defeated the Scotsman in May 2015. Most onlookers believed the bout to be a close-run thing, only the final scorecards didn't quite suggest that was the case.

A rough battle saw Burns twice deducted points by busy referee Laurence Cole for holding.

All three judges made Figueroa Jr. the winner. He got the nod 116-110 from two of the ringside officials, with the other scoring it 117-109.

Per Tom Gray of the Ring magazine, Burns was not pleased with Cole's performance: "Omar was hanging all over me, using his weight, leading with his head, holding and hitting, but I was the only one who lost points. The referee’s answer was that he warned both of us, but I was the only one who was penalised in there."

Texan Figueroa Jr.—who is ranked sixth by the WBO, per FightNews.com—had home advantage in the first meeting.

It only seems fair the rematch happens in Burns' backyard, right?

2. Anthony Crolla/Terry Flanagan

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Anthony Crolla against Burns would be a relatively easy fight to make.

Burns doesn't have to stick around at super lightweight to get a big fight.

He admitted in the immediate aftermath on Saturday, per the Press Association (h/t the Guardian): "I did make super lightweight a bit too comfortable, so lightweight’s always an option as well."

A move back down to 135 pounds would open up a number of intriguing possibilities.

There are two English world champions at lightweight—Anthony Crolla (WBA) and Terry Flanagan (WBO).

The Manchester duo are both potential opponents for Burns, hence why they've been grouped together.

Trainer Tony Sims revealed, via Isaac Robinson of SkySports.com, how Burns had been offered the chance to fight in a final eliminator for Flanagan's WBO strap, but opted to face Di Rocco instead.

Crolla, however, would be the easier fight to make. Both men are part of Eddie Hearn's Matchroom stable.

Whether it takes place in Manchester or Glasgow, Burns against either Crolla or Flanagan would be a real big deal for British boxing.

1. Adrien Broner

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Adrien Broner was the last man to hold the WBA title before Burns.

Had it not been for Adrien Broner's problems on the scales, Burns may never have had the chance to fight for the WBA title at 140 pounds.

Broner had to vacate the belt in April. He failed to make weight for a defence against Englishman Ashley Theophane, though the fight still went ahead.

With Broner winning, the strap became free. So could the American now want to get it back?

The fighter nicknamed The Problem has had some well-documented issues outside of the ring. He served a 10-day prison sentence in April for a probation violation.

However, he is still a huge draw in the sport.

According to promoter Eddie Hearn, Burns would happily head to the United States to take on Broner.

Hearn told Ewing Grahame of the Daily Record: "If you are talking about Adrien Broner, we would travel to the States for that. They’ve already been on to congratulate us, Broner’s guys. They sent congratulations, which means, ‘We’ll be in touch.’

"They can make all the offers they want. We’ll listen."

While a bout with Broner in Scotland would be the dream, Burns would not be bothered by having to travel for such a lucrative payday.