Ricky Burns will make the first defense of his junior welterweight world title against mandatory challenger Kiryl Relikh on Oct. 7 at the SSE Hydro in his hometown of Glasgow, Eddie Hearn announced on Friday.

Burns, who has also won world titles at lightweight and junior lightweight and is one of the most successful boxers in Scottish history, is returning to the same arena where he knocked out Italy’s Michele Di Rocco in the eighth round on May 28 to win a vacant 140-pound world title.

Many thought Burns was just about done when he lost three out of four bouts in 2014 and 2015. All three losses were to top opponents: Terence Crawford, who took his lightweight title, Dejan Zlaticanin, who went on to win a lightweight world title, and former lightweight titlist Omar Figueroa Jr.

But Burns (40-5-1, 14 KOs), 33, has won three fights in a row since, all by knockout against lesser opposition. One was the strong performance to claim the belt against Di Rocco.

“My face at the end of the fight [against Di Rocco] said everything,” Burns said. “It meant so much to me that win and prove I still have so much to give. It was great to be back in Glasgow, and I said before I had to win to get those nights back again, not just for me but for the future of Scottish boxing.

“We have some talented kids coming through in Scotland, and it’s important they get the chance to show what they can do live on [United Kingdom broadcaster] Sky Sports. I put more pressure on myself in that fight than any other. I took plenty of stick before that, as I was apparently finished and on the slide. Everyone had written me off and it felt good to prove them wrong. I can’t thank my trainer Tony Sims enough for what he’s done. We’ve really worked hard together and when I was offered the Di Rocco fight — I grabbed it with both hands as I knew I could win.”

Now comes his first defense against 26-year-old Relikh (21-0, 19 KOs), a five-year professional from Belarus, who will be facing the first opponent of any consequence.

“Relikh is a very tough fight as a first defense. He’s got a high KO ratio, so he will be very dangerous throughout,” Burns said. “Trust me — he has my undivided attention, and I will have to be at my best to get through this. There are some massive fights out there in the future against some huge names in the 140-pound division, but we’re taking it one step at a time, and that starts on Oct. 7 at the Hydro.”

Relikh, who has registered a knockout in his past 12 fights in a row, is trained and promoted by one of England’s most famous and popular fighters, retired former welterweight and junior welterweight world titleholder Ricky Hatton.

“Kiryl is one of those cool, unflinching boxers — nothing fazes him,” Hatton said. “This is a big opportunity for him, and he’s not bothered about being the underdog. Kiryl’s been training and boxing away from home for years, so he’ll have no problem going to Scotland for the fight. I think having the crowd against him will bring the best out of him.

“Ricky Burns is a top-class fighter. You don’t win three world titles by being anything less than world class, but there always has to be a changing of the guard, and I think this could be Kiryl’s time. He’s been working with me in the gym for a while now and every day he’s been getting better and better, so I believe people with be a little bit surprised with what they see when gets it on with Burns.”

In one of the key undercard fights, Scotty Cardle (20-0-1, 6 KOs), 26, will defend the British lightweight title for the third time when he squares off with 32-year-old Kevin Hooper (19-3, 4 KOs).