Katsidis Fights on For his Brother and Puts on a Show:
This past Saturday was a great night to be a Boxing fan! On the HBO card you had 13 to 1 underdog Jason Litzau’s stunning upset of Celsestino Caballero, Andre Berto’s one punch knockout of Freddy Hernandez, and Juan Manuel Marquez’s war torn, all action 9th round TKO of Michael Katsidis. Over on Showtime it was Carl Froch’s impressive win over favored, Arthur Abraham in a “Super Six bout” and Andre Ward’s rough yet entertaining foul filled victory over Sakio Bika. Lots of action, lots of entertainment, lots of drama, lots of excitement, and all of it at a non pay-per-view price… Like I said, it was a great night to be a Boxing fan.
Without a doubt though, the Marquez/Katsidis war stole the show and is most likely the fight of the year. It came in with that potential attached to it and it lived up to every bit. As a journalist, you are taught to be un-biased.The idea of this column is not that.
It is to share honest opinions of the weekend that was in the Boxing world and the connection it made with myself and possibly with others who also love the sport… Which is why I must admit I was openly rooting for Michael Katsidis for many reasons.
If you’ve seen the Aussie brawler before, you know he is the closest thing to the late Arturo Gatti that we have in the sport, with a relentless attack, iron chin, and a will to win under the most dire circumstances. YouTube his highlights against Graham Earl, Czar Amonsot, Joel Casamayor, Jesus Chavez, or Juan Diaz and you’ll see why he’s a can’t miss in the ring.
What was so moving though, was what he was missing outside of it. Katsidis’s older brother Stathi was found dead on October 19th. There is no cause of death at this time. He was 31 years old.
As someone who has lost a brother, I know the pain and how crippling it can be emotionally. Its something I live with everyday and something that although is a part of life, I wish on no one. The days after my brother’s death are like a blur now. I can’t tell you what I did the next day, or the day after, or even 40 days after that, but I know for certain that it wasn’t training for a world title and fighting a first ballot Hall of Famer.
The fact that Michael Katsidis was even able to find it in himself to go on with the fight as scheduled and then put on the performance that he did is something to marvel at. I’d like to consider myself an emotionally strong person who could take the worst that life can bring and keep firing away. But at some point, the battle is over and you’re left with your thoughts. And it’s at that moment that the reality hits you harder than Juan Manuel Marquez ever could.
When commentator Larry Merchant interviewed Katsidis following the loss, he talked about Stathi’s death and made mention of how Katsidis had talked about ‘that he was in his brother and his brother in him.’ When Merchant asked if Michael thought his brother would be proud of him, there was a quick pause and the boxer became emotional. It was almost as if that was the moment his reality hit.
There is no doubt that Stathi was proud of Michael and the way that he fought that night. Hell, I was proud of him and I’ve never met the guy. He gave his all in the ring and it took a 9th round onslaught from a great like Marquez to keep him from fighting on. What I found more amazing than that onslaught itself and the precision Marquez had with every punch was that it didn’t put Katsidis down. Referee Kenny Bayless had to step in and stop the contest with the brave Aussie still standing.
I remember thinking to myself while watching, ‘how is this guy still standing right now?’ But I guess that’s because his brother, was indeed in him. And maybe he was even the one holding him up.
