Kevin Mitchell vs Michael Katsidis Preview

[Faulks]

http://www.theboxingbulletin.com/2010/5/12/1469709/kevin-mitchell-vs-michael-katsidis

 

Dave Oakes previews Saturday's Sky Sports lightweight battle between Kevin Mitchell and Michael Katsidis.

 

Eighteen months ago Kevin Mitchell’s career looked like it was coming to a premature end. He’d been out of the ring for over six months due to a persistent hand injury and was considering retirement. He’d also resorted to working nights on the railway lines just to pay his bills. It was a desperate situation for a boxer who turned professional in a blaze of publicity and was steadily laying the foundations of a seemingly impressive future.

 

Thankfully for Mitchell, and his British fans, he slowly recuperated from his injury and has fought his way to a world title shot, albeit the interim title. He takes on Aussie war machine Michael Katsidis at Upton Park this Saturday in what looks to be a mouth-watering clash of styles.

 

Star-divide

Katsidis, 26-2 (21KO’s), has fought at a higher level than Mitchell and is well known around the world after a series of exciting slugfests. This is his second reign as interim champion; he first won the title with a thrilling victory over Graham Earl, the Luton fighter retiring in the fifth round.

 

Katsidis and Earl put on a vicious battle; Earl was down numerous times whilst Katsidis was dropped heavily in the second round after the referee ignored Earl’s cornerman, Johnny Eames, who threw in the towel.

 

Katsidis lost the title to Joel Casamayor in his second defence. Again, it was a thrilling non-stop battle that saw both fighters tasting canvas, Katsidis eventually getting stopped in the tenth round. He followed that fight with a split decision points defeat to Juan Diaz in September of 2008.

 

The fights against Earl and Casamayor are a great example of all the things that are good and bad about Katsidis. He’s loves to have a war, hits hard and throws punches non-stop. The downside of that, like with many aggressive punchers, is that he tends to walk onto punches and is easy to hit. You get the feeling that he’s happy to take three shots to land one of his own, which may prove to be his downfall against a big puncher like Mitchell.

 

He’s gone on a three fight winning streak since the Diaz fight, beating Angel Hugo Ramirez and Jesus Chavez before getting a split decision victory over Vicente Escobedo in his last fight to reclaim the interim title.

 

Escobedo gave him a hard fight and was catching Katsidis with some heavy blows in the later rounds. Escobedo is a good fighter but he’s not quite world class and it’s got be worrying for Katsidis that he never really made a dent in him despite having the better of him in the early rounds.

 

This fight is definitely a step up in class for Mitchell, he’s never fought anyone in Katsidis’ class before but I view it as a calculated risk. Katsidis has shown signs of wear and tear in his last few fights, whilst Mitchell has looked a more mature fighter in his past two performances.

 

Mitchell, 31-0 (23KO’s), was too intent on knocking his opponents out early in his career and neglected the skills he’d used to good measure in the amateurs, where he won the ABA featherweight title aged just 18. He’s reverted back to skilful aggression since he’s moved to Jimmy Tibbs’ Peacock Gym and looks to be a much better fighter for it.

 

The highlight of the early stage of his career was winning the British super-featherweight title in a British classic against Carl Johanneson. He was reckless at times in that fight and was shaken badly by the heavy handed Johanneson in the sixth round, he showed his fighting spirit though and came storming back to stop Johanneson in the ninth round.

 

The most impressive victory of his career is undoubtedly his recent points defeat of Breidis Prescott, who famously stopped Mitchell’s big rival, Amir Khan, inside a minute. A lot of people thought the naturally bigger Prescott would catch Mitchell with a big punch at some point but Mitchell boxed superbly, he was tactically astute and fought in a controlled manner that we’d not seen previously.

 

He followed the Prescott win by blowing Ignacio Mendoza away in the second round, Mendoza isn’t a world beater but is usually a tough, durable fighter. The way Mitchell knocked him out cold shows that he’s carried his power up to lightweight.

 

There’s no way this fight will disappoint, there’s a crowd of around 18,000 expected at West Ham’s football ground and I doubt a single one of them will leave thinking they haven’t got their moneys worth, especially considering the strength of the undercard.

 

I think Katsidis’ best chance will be an early knockout, he’s got the power to do it but Mitchell’s never been dropped before and looks to have a solid chin. The longer the fight goes, the better Mitchell’s chance, Katsidis can slow towards the end of fights and is also prone to facial damage.

 

Katsidis is no stranger to being dropped and Mitchell can punch with either hand, I can definitely see the face first approach of the Aussie costing him dear at some point. It could resemble the Casamayor fight when he was dropped three times before being stopped.

 

I believe Mitchell will try to box rather than brawl, and if he can see off the first four rounds without taking too many heavy shots, which I think he will, I believe he’ll either take a unanimous decision or maybe even force a late stoppage around the tenth round.

[Wheelchair]

I can't see Mitchell winning with a stoppage myself. Points maybe, but not a stoppage.

 

Kevin's not a big enough puncher to stop Katsidis, especially if he's using his new style of fighting off the back foot.

[LondonRingRules]

Re: Kevin Mitchell vs Michael Katsidis Preview

 

http://www.theboxingbulletin.com/2010/5/12/1469709/kevin-mitchell-vs-michael-katsidis

 

Dave Oakes previews Saturday's Sky Sports lightweight battle between Kevin Mitchell and Michael Katsidis.

The fights against Earl and Casamayor are a great example of all the things that are good and bad about Katsidis. He’s loves to have a war, hits hard and throws punches non-stop. The downside of that, like with many aggressive punchers, is that he tends to walk onto punches and is easy to hit. You get the feeling that he’s happy to take three shots to land one of his own, which may prove to be his downfall against a big puncher like Mitchell.

 

------- Would've thought one of our fabled Brit writers would be doing this preview.

 

Mr. Oakes failed to note that Mitchell is a big UNPROVEN puncher, big difference. This is man against boy really until Mitchell actually proves himself. His best chance is a cuts stoppage which is where Katsidis' greatest vulnerabilities are which is why he boxes more conservatively these days.

 

Thus, a light years difference between the pre Casa Katsidis and the post Casa Katsidis, but me thinks he's gonna come right at Mitchell early on for this fight out of lack of respect since the odds of Mitchel landing 1 to 1 are slim and none much less 3 to one.

[Faulks]

Mitchells not exactly weak though is he?

 

Record won 31 KO 23..

[Wheelchair]

Mitchells not exactly weak though is he?

 

Record won 31 KO 23..

 

But in a class below what Katsidis has fought at.

[Wheelchair]

Here's Graham Houston's preview........

 

Unbeaten Kevin Mitchell looked classy and sharp when outboxing Breidis Prescott in December, and his promoter, Frank Warren, sees him as a fighter who can be built into a major attraction. Warren rolls the dice, though, in Saturday’s main event on Sky when Mitchell challenges Michael Katsidis for the interim WBO lightweight title.

 

This is by far Mitchell’s toughest fight. Katsidis is a tough, strong, busy fighter who hits hard and has better boxing ability, I believe, than generally recognised. The Australian of Greek ancestry has fought the higher calibre of opponent and he is the more seasoned fighter at 29.

 

Mitchell is a very confident boxer, though, and at 25 he is showing a maturity and discipline in the ring after concerns early in his career that he was far too reckless.

 

The Prescott fight was seen as highly risky, but the tall Colombian was missing all night as Mitchell took his movement and defence to a new level.

 

It is obviously going to be tougher night against Katsidis, who is a much better fighter than Prescott. Whereas Prescott threw long, winging punches in a one-dimensional way, Katsidis puts quick pressure on his opponents and throws punches in combinations. He moves well, too, shifting direction as he attacks so that he isn’t always right in front of an opponent. Also, Katsidis has been a lightweight his whole career while Mitchell was boxing as a junior lightweight a year ago. The Aussie looks physically the stronger man.

 

Mitchell is a talented boxer, though, with excellent hand speed, and he hits hurtfully. He has improved technically under the direction of trainer Jimmy Tibbs, a former boxer, and on Saturday Mitchell will be boxing in front of a roaring hometown crowd at Upton Park, the home of the West Ham football club in London’s East End.

 

Sometimes the venue can play a big part in a fight, and I think that this will be the case here. Katsidis has won in London before, when he get off the floor to overwhelm Graham Earl in a thrilling fight, and he fought Juan Diaz on his opponent’s home turf in Houston, so fighting in the other man’s territory won’t be a problem for him. However, I think that Mitchell, if he can get into the fight and start scoring points, can ride the wave of the crowd’s enthusiasm, much as Mikkel Kessler did when the Danish boxer outpointed and outlasted Carl Froch last month.

 

Mitchell has had to overcome adversity. There was a time when he was struggling financially, and he suffered a broken right hand that was surgically repaired. Now he seems set on the path to success.

 

I have considerable respect for Katsidis but I thought he looked beatable in his last fight when he outfought Vicente Escobedo. Although Katsidis was moving his head and slipping punches in the early rounds it seemed to me that he was getting hit more frequently as the bout progressed. His defence has improved, but only up to a point. He does tend to suffer cuts and swellings — in the boxing vernacular, he “busts up” — and Mitchell has the crispness and accuracy to do damage.

 

Katsidis has a reputation as a big hitter but I see him more as a high-punch-output swarmer; Mitchell, I feel, might well be the puncher in the fight. Although Katsidis has been in the bigger fights against better-quality fighters, Mitchell came through the fires of a white-hot battle when he survived a very wobbly sixth round to stop his domestic rival Carl Johanneson in the ninth. He can stand and fight if this is what he has to do, but the plan on Saturday will be for Mitchell to be smart, using the ring, hitting and moving.

 

This is a very tough fight for Mitchell, but I think he is ready. I believe he can outbox Katsidis and nail the Australian warrior with the sort of punches that can have a wearing-down effect. It should be a fast-paced, highly entertaining and perhaps even dramatic fight, but I can see Mitchell taking command in the second half of the contest and boxing and countering his way to a points victory, with a late stoppage a possibility.

[WelshDevilRob]

The weigh-in including Williams and Chisora

 

[WelshDevilRob]

Prediction for Mitchell vs Katsidis

Written by Lee Skavydis

 

Undefeated Kevin 'The Hammer' Mitchell steps into the ring with the fearsome Michael Katsidis on Saturday for the interim WBO lightweight title at West Ham stadium in London, and it's one that many fans have been looking forward to for some time!

 

http://www.frankwarren.tv/boxing/images/Posters/Hammertime.jpg

 

Mitchell, from Dagenham in Essex, will come into the ring with a 31-0 (23 KO's) record while the Australian Katsidis looks to have the slightly more inferior record on paper of 26-2 (21 KO's).

 

However, Michael has mixed it up with some of the best of the division, having been in with the likes of Juan Diaz, Joel Casamayor and veteran Jesus Chavez, while Kevin has yet to be tested on the world scene.

 

His most notable victories were over the likes of Carl Johannson and most recently, Breidis Prescott, who stretched out Amir Khan in 54 seconds in 2008.

 

Kevin had a long layoff due to injury in the middle of 2008, which resulted in almost a year out of the ring following his victory over little known Walter Estrada in Atlantic City, USA, in which he was looking to be on the receiving end of an upset defeat until The Hammer found the punch to end it in the 5th round.

 

Since Mitchell's comeback to the ring in 2009, he has looked considerably better than ever and has slightly altered his style to fight more technically, letting the knockout happen naturally rather than trying to press the issue.

 

Katsidis has already fought in England, having faced Graham Earl in a barn burner on the undercard of the original Audley Harrison vs Michael Sprott bout and has also boxed in the US a number of times so he is no stranger to travelling. However, he will be fighting in one of, if not the largest, places he has in his entire career.

 

I fully expect the London crowds to be quite hostile to Michael and while I should be favouring local boy Mitchell for this fight, I have to go with Katsidis with a mid-late stoppage as I feel he will drag Kevin into a war at some point and will probably set him up for a knockout.

 

I hope I am wrong!

 

The entire event has a strong supporting undercard with Danny Williams fighting Derek Chisora in a fight that Williams says will be his last. Original opponent, Sam Sexton, pulled out due to a family crisis and so Chisora is a late replacement for Williams, which is not ideal if you are having the final bout of your career!

 

However, Derek is about due his British title shot having defeated Carl Baker in February in a British Title Eliminator and with his lack of experience, and providing the right Danny Williams turns up for his final hoorah, we could be in for something special!

 

Olympians, James Degale, Billy Joe Saunders and Frankie Gavin round out a good night's worth of boxing for both the attending crowd and fans that wish to stay at home and watch the event on SKY BOX OFFICE.

 

If only Stacey Soloman wouldn't be singing the British National Anthem for the main event, I would rate Saturday higher than I do.

 

Source: http://ringnews24.com/index.php/site-map/boxing-news/517-prediction-for-mitchell-vs-katsidis.html

[Wheelchair]

Nice article Lee. deal//

[Wheelchair]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/boxing/8683977.stm Kevin Mitchell interview video.