Just seen it ,what a crafty old pro the Cuban is! Great self beleif to come back after that out of the ring scare and at 36 close the show,and what an amateur corner Katsidis has exciting kid ,but a short careerI fear.
Yeah I watched it. Casamayor kept his composure the whole way through, even when he was hurt, and he showed great self belief to be able to turn the momentum his way after the poleaxing he recieved in the 4th, 5th and 6th rounds. Guy has some balls and refused to be intimidated at any point through the fight. I've never been a fan of Katsidis' skills and always felt that his lack of guile and defense would let him down against a crafty boxer but I was rooting for him nonetheless, being a Greek-Aussie myself. I'm terribly disappointed for him, but always felt people were overrating him, or at least overemphasising his abilities because of his fan friendly bash'em, crash'em style. Fights like Hatton-Mayweather and Katsidis-Casamayor should be a lesson to everyone that no matter how big your heart is, and how much you desire the win and will youself to get it, you're not going to get it unless you can observe the first rule of the game: defend yourself at all times. Both Hatton and Katsidis got exposed for having lax defenses.
That was a very good fight. Both of those guys showed plenty of heart and courage. Casamayor showed he is still a crafty,clever old pro who won't give up his championship belt without an epic struggle. Katsidis had nothing to be ashamed of with his performance. He gave it all he had; alot more than is sometimes seen on the HBO and Showtime bouts.
...........Tremendous fight. I'd never seen Katsidis before, so didn't know if he was a boxer or a slugger. Not terribly impressed with his style, but he's not helpless by a long shot. Casamayor must be a nightmare for bettors to wager on. Give him a guy like this with an obliging face-first style though, and he'll win just about all of those.
Havent seen this one yet , ive always liked watching Casamayor though , class he is. Seemed to always go slightly wrong for him a while back at the top level , glad he finally got a real world championship , deserved it
Yes i did and what a great fight! It looked like Katsidis had adapted to getting hit, so to speak, because after the first, Casamayor didn't really hurt him anymore and seemed to swarmed and worn down. I was very surprised to see him win rounds 7 & 8 after just barely making it out of the 5th and 6th. That check left hook was a thing of beauty. Even before Michael hit the floor, you could see from the way he went down that it was over there and then. Interesting that Mayweather knocked out Hatton in similar fashion, in a similar stylistic matchup.
.............He looked very composed and within himself for this fight. I don't buy his story that he wasn't hurt by that body shot though. That was a legit knockdown, though he insisted it was a slip. He was in a real fight; Katsidis pushed him hard.
This was as entertaining fight. I didn't know how much Casamayor had left after seeing him look completely shot against Santa Cruz. I figured that Katsidis had the power and the pressure to eek out a close decision over him (close because of Katsidis's noticable lack of fundamentals, a jab, and defense). But early on, it looked as though Casamayor would stop him in the first round. And in the second, it looked as though he was well on his way to a schooling. To his credit, Katsidis adjusted and started taking control of the fight. I thought he had the fight won after he knocked Casamayor through the ropes. However, he's so crafty and was able to outbox Katsidis in the next two rounds much to my surprise. When Katsidis started swinging for the fences at the start of the 10th round, I knew he was going to get dropped with something he didn't see coming. He was simply to focused on being the aggressor and totally neglected defense - the absolute worst thing to do as a pressure fighter. He could get away with it vs. Czar Amonsot, but not a crafty and intelligent veteran. Casa's shot was similar to Mayweather's check hook against Ricky Hatton, in similar circumstances as well. There was no question who the winner would be once Katsidis hit the floor. Casamayor showed us he has more left in the tank than many believed. I don't think he'd beat Campbell, Diaz, Guzman, or Pacquiao though. For Katsidis, it's back to square one. He needs to improve defensively, unless he's content with getting hit at will (thus having a short career).
"Age and guile defeat youth and speed." Katsidis is in supreme condition and has heart, a good shot, good speed, and passion for what he does... but he is indeed missing what others have already asserted -fundamentals. He has the physical skills but no foundation. He is a strong house built on the edge of a sandy cliff. He should be locked in a room with his eyelids taped open and forced to watch hours of guys like Armstrong, Basilio, and Duran, so that he can understand how critical it is to fight with controlled aggression and behind a good defense. Then he should be forced to do drills til his arms are dangling at his sides, and he should be flogged with a Roman flagellum every time he drops his right or moves into left hooks. I liked the outfit he wore into the ring. But Spartans were not Iceni. Discipline was their key, not Helter Skelter.
Good fight and certainly better than I anticipated. Casamayor showed what skill and experience can do. Not too mention, he probably has more left than most felt he did. Seems like maybe the Santa Cruz fight may have been a mixture of rust, lack of interest, and just an off night. A rematch there wouldn't be a bad idea. I figured Casamayor didn't have the legs left for a brawl with the younger Katsidis. Credit due to the old guy and I look foward to his next match.
Katsidis needs to learn the geometry of the ring ,he doesnt cut it off,doesnt use lateral movement to corner his man ,just follows him around ,rather like Liston.The Greek relies on his glove to catch shots ,instead of head movement ,he hasnt learned to slip punches,but what a game kid.He will be in demand until the "iron " gets all punched out of him,I shudder to think what his face will look like when he is Casamayor's age.
