Who Needs Demetrius When You Have Katsidis?!

Damn, I really hope all of those sportswriters penning their "Boxing Is Dead" stories forked over the money last night. They certainly would have gotten their money's worth in addition to a pleasant relevation. No, Demetrius Hopkins' fight was not televised, and I was a bit pissed. That feeling disappeared once I witnessed one of the great performances of our time. Michael Katsidis, an undefeated Australian of Greek heritage, put the lightweight division on notice in what will immediately go down as the leading contender for Fight of the Year. A week after Arturo Gatti's retirement the boxing world might have found it's next great warrior. Read on for a lot more on the epic bout and two other entertaining contests.

Librado Andrade def. Ted Muller (KO 2) Super Middleweights Andrade put his dominating power on display, unfortunately it came against some scrub replacement fighter. He sure could have used some of those power punches when he last fought against the world class Mikkel Kessler. Muller came out slugging against the slugger and he learned a pretty quick lesson. After the first round the fight doctor told him he wouldn't allow the fight to keep going much longer, going so far as to declare, "that's not boxing, that's not boxing." Indeed, indeed. Fortunately Muller was in the ring with Tony Weeks, one of the best referees in America (in any sport). He stopped the fight midway through the second. Andrade's backflip off of the top rope provided more drama than the bout itself.

Michael Katsidis def. Czar Amonsot (UD 12) Lightweights Mere words cannot do this fight justice. I would have gladly paid the entire $50 pay-per-view fee just to watch these twelve rounds. The 26 year-old Katsidis came entered the ring sporting a Spartan helmet to match the Achillies warrior tattoo spanning his back. He immediately lived up the decor when he came out throwing vicious compact punches to Amonsot's head and body. Fortunately for boxing fans everywhere the talented Filipino southpaw was plenty game. For every straight right hurled by by Katsidis an equally effective counter seemed to land flush for Amonsot. Katsidis went back to the corner with blood dripping from his nose after the first. Both fighters got right down to business in the second round when all of a sudden Amonost walked into a right hand that sent him directly to the canvas. Undeterred Amonsot got right back up and began punishing Katsidis with a vast offensive arsenal. By the end of the round Katsidis had built himself a lead on the cards but his face looked like it just lost a fight with a Cuisinart. I'm going to leave it at that for now because I'd expect HBO to rebroadcast this instant classic next Saturday night. If you want to see a guy win a twelve round fight with pure determination and power I suggest you tune in.

Jorge Linares def. Oscar Larios (KO 10) WBC Featherweight Title Larios' wealth of experience and championships could not protect him from Linares, a 21 year-old Venezuelan (via Japan). Linares' American debut was nothing short of perfect. Nobody had seen a lot of his work but lofty comparisons were being suggested by everyone with a microphone. He may have been fighting a fading champ on his last legs but Linares' skills cannot be denied. He was calculating and precise with his shots, always sensing the perfect time to push the action. I'll be very interested to know who he's going to fight next.

My thoughts on the BHop/Winky debacle will be coming soon.

photo courtesy of Getty Images