Michael Katsidis

At 44 years old, Michael Katsidis has this physical status:

Michael Alan Katsidis (born 15 August 1980) is an Australian professional boxer.

He won the WBO interim lightweight championship twice between 2007 and 2010, and he has competed twice for the lineal lightweight title in 2008.

Katsidis' crowd-pleasing and adamant pressure fighting style drew comparisons with late Arturo Gatti during his career in the late 2000s.

Personal life

Katsidis is of Greek descent and often pays tribute to his roots by wearing a Corinthian helmet when entering the ring, as well as his boots often mimicing a warrior's skirt. He showcases his roots with a tattoo on his back depicting the Vergina Sun, the national symbol of Macedonia, where his family hails. He was a student at Downlands College.

Stathi Katsidis, his brother, was one of Australia's most popular jockeys. Stathi was discovered dead at his home in Brisbane on October 19th.

During a Bangkok reception in February 2009, Katsidis married Japanese native Kumiko Hosako. She gave birth to a daughter on December 8, 2009.

Katsidis was charged with being in possession of an ice pipe in 2015. There was no conviction, but Katsidis was required to attend drug therapy. He was arrested and later charged for operating under the influence of drugs, specifically methamphetamines. He was fined A$400, but a arrest was made. Katsidis returned to court this year for reportedly changing urine samples in order to defudge a urine analysis test.

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Amateur career

Katsidis made a mark of 75 victories and 6 losses in an amateur career that began at the age of 11. At the 2000 Olympics in Sydney, he represented the Australian Olympic team in the lightweight division. He also received a scholarship at the Australian Institute of Sport.

Professional career

Katsidis made his professional debut on December 1st by defeating Danny Wilson in the third round of the Queensland lightweight title. He claimed a twelve-round unanimous victory over James Swan in his second fight on March 9, 2002. He will continue to win another nineteen titles, almost all by knockout, while Amassing three more lower-level titles, the Australian light-welterweight, WBO Asia Pacific lightweight, and the IBF Pan Pacific lightweight championships, respectively, are all under review.

Katsidis was charged with assault in 2001 after being involved in an altercation with a man and breaking his jaw. Katsidis pleaded not guilty and preserving self-defense, but was sentenced to eight months in jail between 2002 and 2003, six months of which were spent at the high-security Woodford Correctional Centre north of Brisbane. Katsidis' visa to the United States was refused twice in 2005 and 2006.

Katsidis and Graham Earl defeated the newly established and uncontested WBO interim lightweight title at the Wembley Arena in London on February 17, 2007. Katsidis and Earl went frome-to-toe in an action-packed and fast-paced contest, where Earl was knocked down twice in the first round and then again in the second. Earl, on the other hand, returned to his feet after the third knockdown and a towel was thrown back out again by referee Mickey Vann), Earl managed to greet Katsidis shortly after being stunned and unsteady on his feet. Earl's comeback would ultimately be short lived, as Katsidis recovered quickly and led the round strongly. A low blow cost Katsidis a point in round three, but Earl's cornermen went on to deliver a barrage of mostly unanswered punches to Earl until the decision was made Earl's cornermen to call the fight after the fifth round.

On May 26, 2007, Katsidis had been scheduled to face Joan Guzmán, the then-WBO super featherweight champion, but the latter had to cancel due to a hand injury. Katsidis saved his WBO interim lightweight title against Czar Amonsot on July 21, 2007, in Las Vegas, Nevada, at the Mandalay Bay Events Center. As part of Bernard Hopkins vs. Ronald "Winky" Wright's pay-per-view undercard to Bernard Hopkins' first fight in the United States, as well as the first of his many appearances on the HBO network.

Both boxers will continue fighting an enthralling, bloody conflict over the distance of twelve rounds. Despite losing to knockdowns in rounds two and ten, Amonsot was a tough and resilient opponent. The judges' scorecards eventually read 116–111, 111–112 for Katsidis, but both men were hospitalized at the local Valley Medical Center, with Amonsot needing an overnight stay and Katsidis multiple stitches for serious eyebleeds that had been bleeding heavily from the third round onwards. Amonsot was discovered to have a subdural hematoma later in life, putting his career in jeopardy at the time.

After the match with Amonsot, the IBF/WBO lightweight champion Juan Dáz was supposed to take place, but HBO and Dáz's promoter Don King prevented this from happening. Katsidis defeated reigning WBC and The Ring magazine lightweight champion Joel Casamayor on Sunday at the Morongo Casino, Resort & Spa in Cabazon, California.

The Cuban southpaw got off to a promising start by catching Katsidis early in the game, then dismissing him twice in the first round. Katsidis' tenacity as the game progressed, with several left and right hands emerging in his defense, at one point sending him crashing through the ring ropes toward the end of round six. Casamayor was docked a point in the ninth round due to a poor blow. All of this allowed Katsidis to quickly build up a lead on two of the judges' scorecards until Casamayor's well-placed counter left hand caught him on the chin in the tenth round, flooring him for the fourth time. Katsidis was able to continue, but a flurry of unanswered shots from Casamayor called on referee Jon Schorle to call the game to a halt. Katsidis suffered for his first defeat and cost him the WBO interim lightweight championship. After the war, cuts and bruises were evident around his eyes.

Following the loss, Juan Dáz's rescheduled match was scheduled for September 6, Texas, in the vacant IBO lightweight championship. Katsidis underperformed over the course of twelve rounds, allowing a determined Daz (who suffered himself in his first battle) to counterpunch and time his attacks with regularity. Katsidis' face bloodied and bruised for the second straight defeat, with Daz winning a split decision. For D.Az, two of the judges scored the fight 116–112 and 113–113, while the third scored it a somewhat controversial 115–113 for Katsidis.

Katsidis would try to reclaim the vacant WBO Asia Pacific lightweight title on January 31 at the Cebu Coliseum in Cebu City, Philippines, with Angel Hugo Ramirez as his opponent. Despite being gun-armed at times and Ramirez's inability to participate, Katsidis dominated the ten-round competition convincingly. Ramirez was knocked down four times (once in the second round and three times in the fourth), but Katsidis was fined a point for striking Ramirez when he was standing from a slip in the second round. The judges decided 98–87, 96–89, and 96–89 in favour of Katsidis at the end of the contest.

Katsidis met Jess Chávez at the Frank Erwin Center in Austin, Texas, on April 4th. This was part of the Lightweight Lightning Festival, a lightweight eliminator tournament put on by Golden Boy Promotions. After starting off with a tepid start by Katsidis, he was able to leap ahead of the scorecards immediately, prompting Chávez (who had a bad cut on his forehead toward the end of round four) to abandon in his corner before the eighth round.

Vicente Escobedo, who fought on 19 September at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, was Katsidis' next adversary, as part of Floyd Mayweather Jr. vs. Juan Manuel Márquez' undercard match. The competition was for the WBO interim lightweight title (which had since been vacated by Joel Casamayor, some time after his triumphant bout with Katsidis), with the winner receiving a guaranteed ticket to face the WBO lightweight world champion.

Katsidis and Escobedo exchanged heavy punches for the full twelve rounds, with Katsidis joking forward and insisting that Escobedo is hitting the retreating yet politely against Escobedo. As per usual, cuts opened up around Katsidis' face early on, as well as a swollen jaw in the closing rounds. The judges were split for Katsidis and 116–112 for Escobedo at the end of the game.

Katsidis had to wait several months to see if a mandatory championship match with Juan Manuel Márquez would materializes. This was dependent on whether Márquez was able to return to the lightweight division to defend his WBO championship or if he'd voluntarily relinquish it to Katsidis in favour of stepping up to a light-welterweight for potentially larger matches. Márquez had not expressed any intention to protect Katsidis by January 2010.

On the 27th of March, a date against then-reigning IBF super featherweight champion Robert Guerrero was confirmed at one point, but Guerrero pulled out of the tournament early February due to family matters. Katsidis had turned his attention toward his old rival Juan D'az, one of Guerrero's deposition, with both expressing an interest in a potential rematch.

Promoter Frank Warren announced a fight between Katsidis and then-undefeated lightweight challenger Kevin Mitchell on March 2nd. The WBO interim lightweight champion was on the line at Boleyn Ground stadium in London on May 15th. Mitchell tried to establish his jab and hold Katsidis at bay at the opening bell. Mitchell was unstoppable in the first two closely fought rounds, with the occasional flurry of hooks from a particularly tough Katsidis proving enough to keep Mitchell on the back foot and keep him out of range. However, Katsidis was able to launch a charging assault and finish strong at the bell in the closing seconds of both rounds. Katsidis continued to charge at Mitchell and was soon able to land a combination of hooks that made the latter stumble backwards on unsteady legs. Mitchell was unable to fully recover his energy from thereon, and less than two minutes later, he was hit by a hard left hook and a line of unanswered punches, which brought him right to a halt. Referee Dave Parris called the fight off.

The WBO ordered Juan Manuel Márquez to contest Katsidis immediately after the Mitchell bout, or face being barred. This was reiterated several months later, following Márquez' triumph over Juan Dáz in a rematch of their 2009 match. Katsidis attended the aforementioned function in order to scout out the winner and primarily demonstrate his claim to be next in line against Márquez.

Márquez had chosen to remain flexible and defend his unify WBA, Ring, and lineal titles against Katsidis on November 27 at the MGM Grand. Richard Schaefer, the CEO of Golden Boy Promotions, announced on August 25th that he had chosen to stay at bay and defend his joint WBA, WBO, Ring, and lineal titles against Katsidis. Oscar De La Hoya, the event's founder, dubbed it Warriors, and it was Katsidis' first headlining an HBO World Championship Boxing broadcast (having headlined HBO's Boxing After Dark against Casamayor and Washington, D.A.). When his brother Stathi Katsidis died on October 19th, Tragedy occurred in Thailand during his pre-fight training and training.

Márquez was knocked down in round three by a ferocious Katsidis left hook, a blow that many analysts were hoping for in a high fan-friendly contest. With accurate counterpunching at close range, he was able to recover quickly, building up a lead on all of the judges' scorecards and gradually neutralizing Katsidis' aggression. Márquez landed a string of cleanly landed uppercuts on an unsteady Katsidis (who had already been staggered by an uppercut in the eighth), causing referee Kenny Bayless to step in and bring the game to a halt. Despite Katsidis' third loss, the team went on to win the 2010 Fight of the Year award from HBO.

Katsidis' next match was scheduled against Robert Guerrero on April 9, 2011, rescheduling of the previous fight that had been postponed from March 2010. It was on stage at the MGM Grand as part of the pay-per-view undercard to Érik Morales' versus Marcos Maidana. Both the WBA and the WBO interim titles were up for grabs once more. "What are you looking at?" says the narrator, amid an enthralling remark, "What are you looking at?" Katsidis lost their third match in a row, and Guerrero's third may have been his fourth defeat in his most one-sided to date. Guerrero was able to maintain a safe distance by consistently landing accurate punches with his jab and straight left hand, to which Katsidis had virtually no response at any stage in the fight.

Katsidis had a knockdown due to a cuffing left hook in the second round, but referee Russell Mora did not count it in. Both fighters traded punches in the fourth round, with Guerrero holding the upper hand. Katsidis was a tumbling left from Guerrero in round five and had him injured for the remainder of the round. Katsidis would miss two points in the eighth round due to repeated low blows; Guerrero lost a point in the ninth for the same reason. The judges were unanimous in scoring 118–107, 118–106, and 117–108 for Guerrero, with all 12 rounds complete.

Katsidis then went back to light-welterweight in a match against Michael Lozada on August 13th at the Gold Coast Convention and Exhibition Centre in Brisbane. It was his first fight in Australia since 2006, as well as his first at light-welterweight since that time. In the third round, an outmatched Lozada was blocked from entering the country.

Katsidis then faced Ricky Burns for the vacant WBO interim lightweight title, bringing the total body back to lightweight. On Friday, Katsidis' third fight in England took place at Wembley Arena in London, making it his third fight in the country. Burns defeated Katsidis by a unanimous decision, with judges' scores of 117–112, 117–111, and 117–111.

It was reported that Katsidis and career-long trainer Brendon Smith had amicably departed after nearly 20 years. He talked in an in-depth interview in December that he was on the lookout for a new boss, promoter, and trainer, as well as a pending fight.

Katsidis, a fellow Australian and former heavyweight champion, took the spotlight on a fight against Albert Mensah, which took place at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas on April 13, 2012. Despite tossing over a thousand punches in a typical action packed outing, Katsidis was outboxed by Mensah, who hit fewer but more punches (particularly the uppercut, where Katsidis had always been vulnerable). Katsidis was strained several times and appeared to be on shaky legs as he stumbled around the ring in the ninth round. With scores of 98–92, 96–94, and 95–95, the judges reached a majority decision for Mensah at the end of the ten-round race.

Katsidis had intended to meet Darleys Pérez, the then-undefeated, later this year, but she had to cancel on August 25th due to a knee injury. Katsidis had been up for a high-profile welterweight match against then-reigning British actor Ricky Hatton, but Hatton instead selected Vyacheslav Senchenko as his opponent. Katsidis later said that from thereon, he would remain at lightweight, which he felt was his natural weight class. Katsidis revealed in another in-depth December interview that he had returned to Sydney and recruited veteran trainer Johnny Lewis for future bouts.

Katsidis' first match of 2013 was scheduled against Weng Haya of the Philippines on February 21. However, the fight was called off on Tuesday, with Katsidis receiving medical advice based on MRI and CAT scans indicating that he should withdraw. Katsidis had suffered with brain scarring a week after the announcement.

Katsidis expressed his desire for a farewell fight in Toowoomba, which he hadn't fought since 2006. He also stated that he was clear to fight, though he had other ambitions beyond boxing. Katsidis would face Stephen Foster on 11 December at the Sydney Entertainment Centre at one point, but this did not happen on the date.

Katsidis and Brendon Smith reunited before the year, with Katsidis facing Eddy Comaro on March 14 in Toowoomba. In three rounds, Comaro was stopped.

On July, a rematch with Graham Earl, whom Katsidis first fought in 2007, took place in Toowoomba at light-welterweight. Katsidis gained a unanimous decision with scores of 120-109, 120–108, and 119–109.

Katsidis traveled to Hull, England, to face Tommy Coyle on October 25th. In the lightweight division, the brawl took place in Hull Arena. Katsidis suffered his seventh career loss after being knocked down and suspended in the second round.

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