Expect a war when the immovable Brit meets the irresistible Australian in the East End of London
With undefeated British super middleweight Joe Calzaghe having hung up his gloves over a year ago and light welterweight cult hero Ricky Hatton set to follow the Welshman’s lead shortly, there is a void to be filled in terms of world renowned British fighters. The majority of boxing critics believe that the natural heirs to the two modern day legends are current WBA heavyweight champion David Haye (set to face John Ruiz in Manchester on April 3), WBC super middleweight Carl Froch (who is set to meet Mikkel Kessler in Denmark in the Super Six tournament on April 24) and WBA light welterweight champion Amir Khan (who is slated to take on Paul Malignaggi in New York on May 15). However, undefeated Kevin Mitchell is threatening to crash the party after a string of outstanding performances.
Katsidis vs. Mitchell Preview
Mitchell, who is 31 (23) – 0, has always been an entertaining fighter to watch because he is an all-action slugger. The ‘Dagenham Destroyer’ has walked through many of his opponents with an all-out attack style and has made many fans along the way. He is not the hardest man to hit however and there have been times in the past where people did not believe he would make it to the top level because of his tendency to get into unnecessary scraps rather than use his boxing skills.
I remember one such occasion in 2008 (where I was sitting ringside) when he was in real trouble against fellow Brit Carl Johanneson before he landed an immense flurry of punches in the ninth that stopped Johanneson gaining what would have been a certain win on the judges scorecards. However, perceptions of Mitchell changed dramatically on December 5, 2009 when the Brit out-smarted and out-boxed powerhouse Columbian Breidis Prescott (the man famous for rendering Amir Khan unconscious in less than a minute in 2008).
Victory over the highly rated Prescott as well as the manner of it bought Mitchell a host of new admirers and suddenly Haye, Froch and Khan weren’t the only three big names in Britain boxing. Mitchell followed his victory over Prescott by impressively taking out Ignacio Mendoza in three rounds earlier this year but now, his toughest challenge awaits.
Australian Michael Katsidis is one of the hardest hitters in the lightweight division and like Mitchell he is an all-action slugger. Katsidis’ philosophy on boxing appears to be attack at all times and he has been in some of the most entertaining fights of the last few years. Katsidis 26 (21) – 2 had an epic fight with the legendary Joel Casamayor where both were down (and appeared out) before Casamayor claimed victory in the eleventh. And Katsidis’ only other loss came against Juan Diaz in another explosive bout that could have gone either way.
He will perhaps be best known in England though for his five round demolition of popular Brit Graham Earl in London. And on May 15, Katsidis will return to Britain looking for another British scalp in Mitchell. It is ironic that the fight will take place on the same night (though not at the same time due to the English – American time zone difference) as the Khan vs. Malignaggi clash and it is interesting to compare the two. Both fights involve a young British boxer and both fights are the biggest fights of that young British boxer’s career.
This though is where the similarities end. The Khan vs. Malignaggi fight is a fight between two fast counter punchers looking to impress on the judges’ scorecards. The Katsidis vs. Mitchell fight is a straight shootout between two sluggers both looking to decapitate each other and probably not caring if there are any judges in attendance. Due to the time difference I mentioned, you will probably be able to see both but if you want to see just one; here is my advice. If you want a chess match, watch Khan vs. Malignaggi. If you want a war, watch Katsidis vs. Mitchell.
After perhaps being inspired by the amazing Cowboys Stadium in Texas that the hosted Pacquiao vs. Clottey clash, the Katsidis vs. Mitchell match up will take place in the less glamorous but perhaps more atmospheric Upton Park in the East End of London which is the home of Premiership football (or soccer) team West Ham United. Mitchell, a boyhood fan of the club, said it is his dream to fight in the stadium and expect tens of thousands of rowdy drunk British football hooligans (and a few boxing fans) to cram into the stadium in what should make for a memorable night for the East End of London.
What is more, the fight is now likely to be for the full WBO lightweight (rather than interim) championship as current champ, the legendary Mexican Juan Manuel Marquez, is almost certain to vacate his title in the very near future rather than defend it against an up-and-comer.
Katsidis vs. Mitchell Prediction
The bad blood between Katsidis and Michell has already started and don’t expect there to be any love-in’s between the two brawlers before May 15. “He better bring a good cutsman because I’m planning on busting him up real bad” Mitchell stated at a recent press conference in London. Katsidis responded: “Your promoter (Frank Warren) says you’ve got a secret weapon – is it your mouth? If you couldn’t knock out Prescott how are you going to knock out me? You can keep on talking but I promise I’ll be there on the night.” For my money, I think Katsidis probably will be there all night but I think he will visit the canvas at least once.
The fight will start with both fighters flying out of their corners fuelled by a capacity crowd screaming them on. Both fighters will miss with a few wild shots but catch each other with some huge blows. This will continue for the first half of the fight until both begin to tire due to the frantic pace of the bout.
The seventh, eighth and ninth round will see Mitchell employ the clever tactics he did against Prescott and frustrate Katsidis but the Australian will still manage to catch the Brit with some big shots. Towards the end of the fight, the pace will pick up again and Katsidis will land a huge shot that would put 99% of lightweights to sleep.
But with his iron jaw and fighting at his beloved Upton Park with his home fans behind him, Mitchell will stay on his feet and later respond with a huge shot that will send Katsidis to the floor. He will not be able to finish the Australian off though despite a memorable final round that sees defensive skill thrown out of the window.
The bout will go to the scorecards and you better believe that Mitchell, at Upton Park, will get the decision. I say this not because I am British and not because I dislike Katsidis (as I like him a lot) but because of where the fight is taking place. People from the East End are pleasant enough people and rather friendly by day but give a drunk crowd of them news they don’t like and there will be an all out riot that would threaten the very foundations of Upton Park.
Some of you may be old enough to remember Marvellous Marvin Hagler taking the WBA and WBC middleweight titles from Alan Minter by a third round TKO in London in 1980. And you may also be old enough to remember the riot the followed where glass bottles flew into the ring and Hagler later admitted that he feared for his life. Well, you may see where I am going.
If Mitchell loses a decision after every one of his punches is cheered like a Superbowl victory whether it lands or not, the judges will not escape with lives. Mitchell wins the slugfest by unanimous decision. And for the astute judges watching at home, the Brit wins the war by split decision.
