Kevin Mitchell v Michael Katsidis
What’s every Dagenham boys dream? Fighting at Upton Park, in front of 30,000 with the diva of Dagenham Stacey Solomon singing the national anthem probably wouldn’t be far off.
Dreams do come true for Kevin Mitchell then as he takes on Michael Katsidis for the WBO interim lightweight title tomorrow night at West Ham’s ground.
This is the step up that “The Dagenham Destroyer” has been seeking for a long time. It may not be the full title, but its one step closer as Mitchell seeks to emulate fellow British lightweight Amir Khan and become a world champion. It’s not going to be easy though, he fights Australian warrior Katsidis, and on paper this match is looking like it could be a proper blood and guts war.
Mitchell goes into this bout with a perfect record from 31 fights, including 23 knockouts. In comparison Katsidis is fighting off a card of 28-26-2 with a 21-KO record but with a better pedigree of fighter on his CV.
This one will be a real punchers fight, a true test of both fighter’s brawn and tenacity. With 44 knockouts between them in 59 fights it bodes well for fans of the big hits and the whole bout hinges on which one of these two pugilists is the most durable.
Both combatants are more than happy to scrap and will try and take this fight to the inside to assert their dominance on proceedings.
You know just what to expect from Katsidis, he is like a bulldog tethered to a tree looking at a piece of steak which is just out of reach.
He is looking in as good a physical condition as he has ever been in at the moment and seems well up for a tearup. He can certainly bang and will try and close down the ring in a highly aggressive rampaging manner. However his hastiness to stride forward leaves him open to counter-shots which he has taken in huge doses in the past.
While it’s fair to say he can take a cuff on the chin, his defence is virtually nonexistent and is without doubt his Achilles heel. It is ironic he has such a prominent one seeing as his father is from the same village as the Trojan War hero.
It will be interesting to see how Mitchell deals with Katsidis’ all-action display, will he match him or will he try and pick him off from range?
The last two fights have showcased the Essex boy’s contrasting styles. Against Breidis Prescott he kept his composure and picked him off from a distance, aware that Columbian could throw bombs. Whereas against Ignacio Mendoza he went for his more normal attack on the front foot, but perhaps with an added maturity and control than he has shown in some of his previous battles.
Mitchell could take it to the inside and try and outwork and out power Katsidis. He will need to keep his gloves tight to his face to absorb the Katsidis jabs and straights and try to pick him off with accurate hits of his own, but in order to do that he is going to have to make sure his powerful over hands and hooks find their target or he could be in trouble as you simply can’t give Katsidis an inch.
If the pair do take it on toe-to-toe in the middle of the ring it will be a crimson encrusted, brutal affair and could come down to purely to who is the most unyielding in conflict.
Katsidis likes to come to the ring in a Greek gladiatorial outfit to pay homage to the warriors of his roots. Mitchell was hoping to do the same but couldn’t fit his Ford Escort XR3i through the door.
Prediction: Mitchell split-decision
It could come down to who lands the highest volume of shots. Both men are tough and neither of them will go down lightly, Mitchell should be just a bit more accurate though taking the early rounds and leaving the Australian to much ground to make up by the end.
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