Q&A Michael “The Great” Katsidis

[El Raincoat]

Q&A Michael “The Great” Katsidis

We recently caught up with Lightweight contender and former champion Michael “The Great” Katsidis 25-2(21). The Australian born fighter has been in Larissa, Greece which is the home of his ancestors as a special guest. The thrill a minute battler is regarded as by some as the heir apparent to Human Highlight reel Arturo Gatti. He sprung to prominence in 2007 when as an unbeaten contender he won the world title in London with an electrifying bludgeoning of the game Graham Earl. That performance pricked enough ears that he got a prime spot on the Hopkins-Wright card against Tough Filipino Czar Amonsot in a wild affair Katsidis dropped Amonsot twice and won a unanimous points decision though he incurred two brutal cuts. Those cuts kept him out of the ring for 8 months when he fought his toughest foe to date Joel Casamayor. This time Katsidis wasn’t able to find a way to win and was stopped in the tenth of an exciting encounter in which he actually had Casamayor down in the sixth. An all action battle with Juan Diaz followed again Katsidis lost, this time a narrow split decision. Though he now had two loses on his ledger he had shown that he deserves to be amongst the top Lightweights on the planet. The loses had done more for his image than many wins can do for a fighter. Team Katsidis now happy that they belong with the elite at 135, they helped retool and rebuild Katsidis firstly with a ten round points win in the Philippines then he came back fight in America as part of the Lightweight lightening card when he stopped solid veteran Jesus Chavez in seven. Here’s what Katsidis had to say on various subjects.


Hello Michael, welcome to 15 rounds. com

Anson Wainwright - Do you have any news of when and where and possibly against whom you maybe back in action?

Michael Katsidis - There are currently two pending challenges that you may already know about. Pacquiao and Hatton. Meanwhile there are a world of opportunities now sitting pretty at no.1 in the WBO. I’m not locked in to fight just now but I am very soon I believe I have an answer as to when I fight again.

Anson Wainwright -It has been reported that you turned down a fight I think it was against Rolando Reyes, what is your side of things?

Michael Katsidis - The last time I was scheduled to fight Rolando Reyes was for my debut bout in America over 3 years ago. Since then I have fought in 4 world title bouts and have been the lightweight champion of the world. I don’t believe there is anything in that fight for me as far as the majority of people wanting to see that fight opposed to who I have already fought.

Anson Wainwright -You have mentioned that you have been contacted by Ricky Hatton for a fight this fall in Britain, can you tell us anymore?

Michael Katsidis - This fight is still pending. I hear a lot of questions from people in regards to when and where this fight will happen. An astounding amount of people asking these questions are all from England. They all know he is having a homecoming fight but I believe he still has to move on from his loss to Pacquiao, make a decision and take a step to go forward. He knows I come to his backyard to do this, his dad even mentioned he wants the fight, when is the question.

Anson Wainwright -Would moving up to Light Welterweight not take away your strength and play into Hatton’s hands?

Michael Katsidis - I am strong either way, I believe this fight will be a battle of wills.

Anson Wainwright -You suffer from cuts, have you ever seen a doctor and tried different things to prevent this happening?

Michael Katsidis - This is boxing and like Ricky Hatton said ‘this isn’t a tickling contest’ you fight, and things happen. Truth be known I have only cut in two fights 3 fights of my career spanning of over 100 amateur and professional fights. So no I haven’t seen a doctor about this.

Anson Wainwright -Your based in Pattaya, Thailand. Can you tell us a little about your decision to base yourself there?

Michael Katsidis – I’m not based in Pattaya permanently, I have been preparing at different locations but have used Thailand in parts, namely Pattaya and Phuket. Where we choose our training camps are based upon the time of year climate conditions and various elements that come into the sport of boxing which as most in the sport may know can change at any time

Anson Wainwright -How did you get into Boxing?

Michael Katsidis - I started at the age of eleven. I had endless amounts of energy and nowhere to channel it. Then I found boxing. For weeks I went to the gym and admired how dedicated everyone was to the sport. I remember hearing a trainer tell a young kid the same age as myself, ‘your going to be a tiger’. I interrupted and asked if he could turn me into a tiger too! Not long after that I came across Brendon Smith and trained along with his team of boxers. 18 years later we are still doing the same thing.

Anson Wainwright -How do you enjoy spending your time away from Boxing?

Michael Katsidis - I like spending time with family. I think family is the greatest link to our past. Mostly I enjoy watching my brother at the race track. I’m proud to say he is one of Australia’s leading jockeys.

Anson Wainwright -Your heritage is something you seem to be proud of. You wear a Spartan Helmut to the ring and have a tattoo on your back of the Vergina Sun. Can you tell us a little about it?

Michael Katsidis - I wear what I wear to the ring to pay tribute to my heritage. Both my brother and myself have been very gifted from such a young age. I wear the sun of Vergina and feel the passion from so many people all over the world when I am victorious. It all adds to making what I do so special. You have to love your work and this is how I do it.

Anson Wainwright -You’re beaten all comers except the very best when you lost entertaining fights with Juan Diaz & Joel Casamayor. Is that something that drives you on, to be able to fight one of those guys and get the win against them?

Michael Katsidis - I know within myself I beat Juan Diaz on that night. There was 18,000 strong crowd that night all in favour of Diaz in his hometown. You could of heard a pin drop during that fight at times, it was so quiet when I advanced. I know I am a better fighter and now I am more experienced and are more skilled, I’m coming into the best stage of my career now having gained so much from those big fights. What drives me is knowing what I am capable of and how easily I can do it. little I say matters, now all that is left is to stay the cause and time will tell.

Anson Wainwright -Finally do you have a message for your fans?

Michael Katsidis - Never forget where you come from and be proud of who you are, if you want something bad enough you can have it. It is my duty to stand testimony to that. Im going to win the world title again.

[Hounddawg]

Good read, Katsidis at LT Welter......Interesting.

There's some fighters at Lt weight and i kind of like the idea of redemption vs casamayor which i think he could win this time around.

[El Raincoat]

Good read, Katsidis at LT Welter......Interesting.

There's some fighters at Lt weight and i kind of like the idea of redemption vs casamayor which i think he could win this time around.

Thank you.

I'm not sure if he'll get Ricky Hatton but could be an interesting fight.

I'm not sure if Katsidis can win the big one he has lost his two biggest fights to Casamayor & Diaz.

[Asterix]

Good read, Katsidis at LT Welter......Interesting.

There's some fighters at Lt weight and i kind of like the idea of redemption vs casamayor which i think he could win this time around.

I think Katsidis could beat Casamayor now as well, though I wouldn't bet on it. Since the first fight Casamayor has been knocked out in a tough fight against Juan Manuel Marquez and Katsidis has gained valuable experience in a technical fight against Juan Diaz.

[Soundkamp]

Katisdis v Malignaggi - think that would be a very winable fight for Michael and it would go well on his CV

[Hounddawg]

I still think that Interim is not actually a world champion, however some boxers out there think that interim world champ means they are world champ.
The reason i bring this up is that Katsidis claims 'he was a world light weight champ and is now looking to jump weight, i think he can achieve a version of the world title at that weight.

Here's the thing about Rocky that i don't like, he doesn't believe in small steps, and that's why he has 2 loss's on his record, his best win came in his last fight against a b- fighter, now he wants to fight against an A+ fighter in Pacman and still possibly a very strong fighter in Hatton and rocky hasn't even fought at that weight.
He first started with these big leaps when he crushed Earl and Amonsot and then jumped in to fight Casamoyor and Diaz who at that time were the 2 best in the division, he has now returned with 2 wins against opponents that should have got him back his confidence to pursue a rematch with a guy he was clearly winning against until inexpierence kicked in.
IMO Katsidis has plenty of fights in the LT weight division for him such as Barrera, Reyes and Romanov first before even talking about a super fight.

[perfect jet]

I'm hearing GBP are trying to put together Katsidis v Escobedo. No date or venue yet.

[Brute]

I'm hearing GBP are trying to put together Katsidis v Escobedo. No date or venue yet.

Just a question, mate. Why did Ranee Ganoy change trainers?

[Brute]

I still think that Interim is not actually a world champion, however some boxers out there think that interim world champ means they are world champ.
The reason i bring this up is that Katsidis claims 'he was a world light weight champ and is now looking to jump weight, i think he can achieve a version of the world title at that weight.

Here's the thing about Rocky that i don't like, he doesn't believe in small steps, and that's why he has 2 loss's on his record, his best win came in his last fight against a b- fighter, now he wants to fight against an A+ fighter in Pacman and still possibly a very strong fighter in Hatton and rocky hasn't even fought at that weight.
He first started with these big leaps when he crushed Earl and Amonsot and then jumped in to fight Casamoyor and Diaz who at that time were the 2 best in the division, he has now returned with 2 wins against opponents that should have got him back his confidence to pursue a rematch with a guy he was clearly winning against until inexpierence kicked in.
IMO Katsidis has plenty of fights in the LT weight division for him such as Barrera, Reyes and Romanov first before even talking about a super fight.

His last fight was a win over Jesus Chavez, who was a two weight World Champion. As interim WBO champ he had no choice but to fight Casamayor who held the other half of the title.

[Hounddawg]

I'm hearing GBP are trying to put together Katsidis v Escobedo. No date or venue yet.

Just a question, mate. Why did Ranee Ganoy change trainers?

Can i add to that question by asking when him and Zappa are going to fight?

[perfect jet]

I'm hearing GBP are trying to put together Katsidis v Escobedo. No date or venue yet.

Just a question, mate. Why did Ranee Ganoy change trainers?

Basically mate, he needed a promoter behind him. Otherwise he would have struggled to get any fights here as he was too hard to match. No one wants to fight him.

With Grange, he has a big team who can invest in him and build him back up. He is really happy there too...trainer Graham Shaw seems a really good fit and Ranee will benefit from being with a more professional team.

he's fighting again on the fox show in Aug. Not sure who against mate.

[Brute]

I notice that Lenny Zappa is down to fight on the same program. Both are up against good old TBA, although Lenny's fight is for 8 rounds and Ranee's for 6. Could this change?

I feel a bit sorry for Hermie Bohol, but maybe Ranee is better off.

[perfect jet]

I'm hearing GBP are trying to put together Katsidis v Escobedo. No date or venue yet.

Just a question, mate. Why did Ranee Ganoy change trainers?

Can i add to that question by asking when him and Zappa are going to fight?

Not anytime soon :)

Grange offered to do Ganoy v Zappa but Lennys people went in another direction. That's fair enough, Zappa is building towards a US figth so Ranee may have been a speed hump. Maybe down the track it might happen, who knows mate?

On Zappa...after the Aug fight on Fox, I was told it looks likely he will fight on the Dawson/Johnson card in the US in Nov. I hope he gets a break and does really well there.

[Hounddawg]

I still think that Interim is not actually a world champion, however some boxers out there think that interim world champ means they are world champ.
The reason i bring this up is that Katsidis claims 'he was a world light weight champ and is now looking to jump weight, i think he can achieve a version of the world title at that weight.

Here's the thing about Rocky that i don't like, he doesn't believe in small steps, and that's why he has 2 loss's on his record, his best win came in his last fight against a b- fighter, now he wants to fight against an A+ fighter in Pacman and still possibly a very strong fighter in Hatton and rocky hasn't even fought at that weight.
He first started with these big leaps when he crushed Earl and Amonsot and then jumped in to fight Casamoyor and Diaz who at that time were the 2 best in the division, he has now returned with 2 wins against opponents that should have got him back his confidence to pursue a rematch with a guy he was clearly winning against until inexpierence kicked in.
IMO Katsidis has plenty of fights in the LT weight division for him such as Barrera, Reyes and Romanov first before even talking about a super fight.

His last fight was a win over Jesus Chavez, who was a two weight World Champion. As interim WBO champ he had no choice but to fight Casamayor who held the other half of the title.

I think he will beat Casamayor in a rematch, it always does the confidence and the fans the world of good if you can resurrect a bad performance by revisiting the same opponent, Katsidis IMO was comfortably ahead before that explosion.

I think Casamayor was the WBC interim, and ring magazine from memory.

[Hounddawg]

Just a question, mate. Why did Ranee Ganoy change trainers?[/quote]

Can i add to that question by asking when him and Zappa are going to fight?[/quote]

Not anytime soon :)

Grange offered to do Ganoy v Zappa but Lennys people went in another direction. That's fair enough, Zappa is building towards a US figth so Ranee may have been a speed hump. Maybe down the track it might happen, who knows mate?

On Zappa...after the Aug fight on Fox, I was told it looks likely he will fight on the Dawson/Johnson card in the US in Nov. I hope he gets a break and does really well there.[/quote]

Thanks mate.

I think it will happen down the track, it has to......it's the peoples fight.

[perfect jet]

I notice that Lenny Zappa is down to fight on the same program. Both are up against good old TBA, although Lenny's fight is for 8 rounds and Ranee's for 6. Could this change?

I feel a bit sorry for Hermie Bohol, but maybe Ranee is better off.

Not sure who they are both fighting mate. I'l post as soon as I find out.

Hermie instigated Ranee's switch mate. He's fine with it, it wasn't like they had a fall out or Ranee left or anything along those lines. Hermie was stuck...a fighter he couldn't match and obviously he isn't a promoter so he couldn't put him on a card.

He landed on his feet with Grange taking over his career. They operate with a small team so Ranee was very lucky to be taken on board.

[perfect jet]

this site plays up a treat on my pc. I just noticed my post has appeared under Hound ogs name lol.

[Asterix]

this site plays up a treat on my pc. I just noticed my post has appeared under Hound ogs name lol.

It's not the site, Hounddawg messed up the quote. ;;-)

[Brute]

I notice that Lenny Zappa is down to fight on the same program. Both are up against good old TBA, although Lenny's fight is for 8 rounds and Ranee's for 6. Could this change?

I feel a bit sorry for Hermie Bohol, but maybe Ranee is better off.

Not sure who they are both fighting mate. I'l post as soon as I find out.

Hermie instigated Ranee's switch mate. He's fine with it, it wasn't like they had a fall out or Ranee left or anything along those lines. Hermie was stuck...a fighter he couldn't match and obviously he isn't a promoter so he couldn't put him on a card.

He landed on his feet with Grange taking over his career. They operate with a small team so Ranee was very lucky to be taken on board.

I'm glad Hermie wasn't shafted. He is a good bloke.

[Sweet P]

I had a good laugh on at Andy Raymond on Fox the other night. Tsalking about Zappa beinfg the best 135-140 pounder in our country. then bringing up a few names including Katsidis. Geale went quite and dint answer him.

Zappa is a good prospect but at this time Katsidis would KO him fairly easily.

[Marlin]

I had a good laugh on at Andy Raymond on Fox the other night. Tsalking about Zappa beinfg the best 135-140 pounder in our country. then bringing up a few names including Katsidis. Geale went quite and dint answer him.

Zappa is a good prospect but at this time Katsidis would KO him fairly easily.

I was thinking the same thing

[Soundkamp]

yeah i know i thought that was a stupid comment, i couldn't believe his audacity to drop Katsidis's name in that list saying Zappa is better then Mick

[perfect jet]

Not to digress but out of interest...

The guy who ko'd Ganoy in Sth Africa, Fernando Angulo is fighting Yuri Romanov for vacant IBF lightweight belt (Nate vacated) on the Nate Campbell v Tim Bradley undercard on Aug 1.

How on earth did Angulo get sanctioned to contest the title? He was overweight for Ganoy and therefore forfeited the #2 spot. He was again overweight in his next fight WHICH HE LOST ON POINTS.

But that gets him a title fight. In case you are interested, he is promoted by Don King.

[Hounddawg]

Not to digress but out of interest...

The guy who ko'd Ganoy in Sth Africa, Fernando Angulo is fighting Yuri Romanov for vacant IBF lightweight belt (Nate vacated) on the Nate Campbell v Tim Bradley undercard on Aug 1.

How on earth did Angulo get sanctioned to contest the title? He was overweight for Ganoy and therefore forfeited the #2 spot. He was again overweight in his next fight WHICH HE LOST ON POINTS.

But that gets him a title fight. In case you are interested, he is promoted by Don King.

"Only in America" D

[Hounddawg]

Not to digress but out of interest...

The guy who ko'd Ganoy in Sth Africa, Fernando Angulo is fighting Yuri Romanov for vacant IBF lightweight belt (Nate vacated) on the Nate Campbell v Tim Bradley undercard on Aug 1.

How on earth did Angulo get sanctioned to contest the title? He was overweight for Ganoy and therefore forfeited the #2 spot. He was again overweight in his next fight WHICH HE LOST ON POINTS.

But that gets him a title fight. In case you are interested, he is promoted by Don King.

Thats a fight Rocky should pursuit, Ramonov for the IBF title.