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Burns' relief at leaving the 'zombie' behind

Ricky Burns says he is enjoying his training again now he has moved up a weight © Getty Images

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Ricky Burns has admitted his relief at moving up to lightweight after revealing he "felt like a zombie" when desperately trying to shed pounds to make the super-featherweight limit.

The 28-year-old takes on Australian Michael Katsidis for the WBO interim lightweight title on November 5 at Wembley Arena, when he will fight for the first time at 135lbs.

The Scot decided to relinquish his WBO super-featherweight strap after making three successful defences - the latest of which was against Nicky Cook in July. Burns says the lead-up to the fight was a blur, with his effort to take excess weight off leaving him exhausted.

"The day of the weigh-in you should have seen the state of me trying to get a pound off," he said. "I was like a zombie. People were coming up to talk to me and I was so drained I didn't want to. My whole attitude was I couldn't be bothered."

Fortunately for Burns his stamina was never tested as his opponent was forced to call it quits 93 seconds into the contest because of a back injury. Following that victory Burns decided to surrender his belt and set his sights on achieving new goals at lightweight.

"It was a big weight off my shoulders," he said. "I can concentrate on the boxing now - it was getting so hard to make the weight," he added. Going up to lightweight was always on the cards. I'm still dieting, but I can eat more, especially with the hours I put in at the gym and the intensity of it.

"I do believe I will be stronger at lightweight. I've always said I want to fight the best in the division and it's going to be a cracking fight."

Katsidis is no stranger to fighting in England - he stopped Graham Earl in the fifth round four years ago and tore through Kevin Mitchell's defences in a one-sided fight in 2010. Although defeats to Juan Manuel Marquez and Robert Guerrero followed, Katsidis, who knocked out Michael Lozada on home soil last time out, is relishing re-establishing his love affair with England.

"England has become a bit of a home to me and it's great to be back," he said. "I've had great preparation and I'm ready to do the business. I took on the hardest fights possible after the Mitchell fight and gained a lot of experience. This is the time for me to shine and it's going to be a fantastic fight - when the chips are down he digs deep."

© ESPN Sports Media Ltd.