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Michael Katsidis Mandatory Opponent for Marquez vs. Diaz Winner

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Michael Katsidis Mandatory Opponent for Marquez vs. Diaz Winner

Michael Katsidis apparently has received a welcome reward for upsetting top British fighter Kevin Mitchell on May 15 to retain his interim WBO lightweight title - a shot at the undisputed WBO crown. BoxingScene.com reports that Katsidis’s boxing agent Sampson Lewkowicz received a phone call earlier this month from Paco Valcarcel to congratulate him on the fight and inform him that Katsidis is now the mandatory challenger for the full WBO lightweight title that will be on the line when Juan Diaz challenges current titlist Juan Manuel Marquez on July 31.

Not only was Katsidis the interim WBO lightweight titlist - which he earned by beating Vicente Escobedo n a tough split decision in November 2009 - but Mitchell was also the No. 1 contender Marquez’s full WBO title. The combination of Katsidis’ interim title and win over the top-ranked contender was more than enough for Valcarcel to anoint Katsidis as the mandatory defense for the winner of the Marquez vs. Diaz fight.

Clearly it’s a fight that Katsidis is interested in taking. He told BoxingScene.com earlier this month that he would be much more interested in taking on either Marquez or Diaz than Amir Khan, the current WBA super lightweight king. Some thought that Khan would make an intriguing match-up for Katsidis. Not only are they two power punchers with noticeable vulnerabilities (Khan’s questionable chin vs. Katsidis’ proclivity for bleeding), but there was an intriguing sub-plot to the fight: it could easily be marketed as Khan “seeking revenge” for Katsidis having stopped the title dreams of Britain’s other major title prospect. However, Katsidis has said that he is comfortable fighting at lightweight and is not currently interested in making the step up in class to take on Khan.

There are also potentially intriguing storylines at play if Katsidis fights either Diaz or Marquez. A bout against Diaz would be a rematch of their battle in Houston in September 2008 that saw Diaz batter Katsidis early and close one of his eyes before the Australian was able to come back to win the majority of the later rounds. However, Katsidis’ rally would not be enough: Diaz would claim a split decision victory by keeping Katsidis off-balance with jabs and long-range punches.

While the fight between Katsidis and Diaz forged respect between the two fighters, there is apparently no love lost between Katsidis and Marquez. Specifically, Katsidis’ team believes that Marquez has ducked Katsidis in the past. Lewkowicz said that he isn’t sure that Marquez wouldn’t choose to abandon the WBO title rather than face Katsidis. Lewkowicz pointed out that Marquez has told Katsidis’ team that he can’t fight at 135 pounds before during fight negotiations, only to take on fights after the fact at 135 pounds.

This isn’t the first time that Marquez has been linked to a fight with Katsidis. There were rumors that the two would meet on May 1 in a comeback fight for Marquez, who has not fought since dropping a unanimous decision to Floyd Mayweather Jr. last September. It was his decision to fight Mayweather at welterweight that caused the WBO to create the “interim” title won by Katsidis. Since then, Katsidis has been pushing for a “unification” fight against Marquez, who decided against fighting on May 1 and instead chose Diaz as his comeback opponent.

If Marquez beats Diaz (as is expected), then he has several prospects ahead of him other than fighting Katsidis. He could move up to super lightweight and take on an opponent like Khan, who has previously beaten Marquez’s fellow Mexican superstar Marco Antonio Barrera. But it’s important to remember that Marquez only moved up from super featherweight to lightweight three fights ago, and there are questions about whether he can successful move up in weight to super lightweight. If Marquez wants to remain a lightweight, then it appears that his best bet will be to take on Katsidis in what would appear on paper to be a highly entertaining and intriguing bout.

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