For those of us still trying to get rid of the bitter taste left by the Danny Green/Paul Briggs fiasco, the news Australian boxer Michael Katsidis will fight Mexico’s Juan Manuel Marquez on November 27 for the world lightweight title was welcome.
Katsidis’ battle with Marquez is, despite what Danny Green or Anthony Mundine might tell you, the most significant fight for an Australian boxer since Kostya Tszyu knocked out Zab Judah in 2001 to become undisputed junior welterweight champion of the world.
Marquez is a boxing superstar. He gave pound-for-pound king Manny Pacquiao the toughest two fights of his career when he battled to a draw with the Filipino in 2004 and lost a razor-thin split decision to him in 2008.
In a country where boxing is a religion, Marquez may be the finest Mexican boxer of his generation. And in a generation that boasted contemporaries like Marco Antonio Barrera and Erik Morales, this is no small praise.
Katsidis, meanwhile, is the quintessential road warrior. The Queenslander is a pro’s pro - he shows up in excellent condition and ready to fight, and even though he has defensive deficiencies and a worrying tendency to cut, his heart and toughness see him through more often than not.
Boxing is full of fighters who say they will meet anybody, anywhere, anytime – Katsidis is one of the few who actually mean it.
Add to this his crowd-pleasing style, good looks and laid-back demeanour, and you have a combination that should make him a household name. Yet very few Australians have heard of Katsidis, while the boxing headlines are stolen by Green and Mundine, two men who haven’t had a meaningful fight since they fought each other over four years ago.
In his 29 professional fights, Katsidis has fought eight times overseas, most recently travelling to London to face highly-regarded, undefeated Englishman Kevin Mitchell at a hostile Upton Park.
He destroyed Mitchell in three one-sided rounds.
In his 33 professional contests, Green has ventured off Australian soil five times, while Mundine has fought just three times overseas, with one of those in New Zealand, in his 42 fights.
In the US, where boxing dreams are made or broken, Green has fought just twice, while Canada is as close as Mundine has ventured to the promised land.
Katsidis has fought in the US five times, and would have been an underdog in three of those contests.
What Katsidis, Tszyu and Armenian-born world super-flyweight world champion Vic Darchinyan all realise is that if you want to be taken seriously in the world of boxing, you have to fight overseas against the best opponents you can find.
Fighting Jose Alberto Clavero or Alejandro Gustavo Falliga at the Sydney Entertainment Centre on a Wednesday night simply isn’t good enough. Or a struggling Paul Briggs who hadn’t fought in three years.
I’ve had the pleasure of meeting both Danny Green and Anthony Mudnine. Both are warm, forthcoming and friendly. This isn’t meant to be a personal attack on either man, but it saddens me that they dominate the boxing headlines in this country, when it’s clear they view boxing more as a business than a sport. Yet Katsidis and Darchinyan, like Tszyu before them, scour the globe taking tougher fights for less money than Green or Mundine make.
So on November 27, I urge you to tune in when Katsidis takes on Marquez. I can’t guarantee an Aussie win. But I guarantee he’ll give 100 per cent against one of the best fighters of the last decade and, while it lasts, it’ll be exciting.