‘Katsidis the Great’ to defend world title on July 21 in Las Vegas
VENICE Huffing and puffing — and drenched in perspiration — Michael Katsidis pounds away on a former world boxing champion, exhausting himself as he wraps up 14 rounds of fighting.
The small room inside Redwood’s Boxing Club on Main Street was hot and humid, consumed by the stench of sweaty towels last Friday. The sensory distractions were irrelevant to the Aussie fighter, however, as he prepared to defend his world title for the first time in Las Vegas later this month.
The quiet scene outside the gym was one Katsidis has grown accustomed to since December — devoid of a gathering of fans and lack of recognition on the street for this Australian superstar.
To the people in his hometown of Toowoomba, Queensland — one of the largest cities in Australia — Katsidis is a boxing god, blessed with the prized pugilist ability to knock out opponent after opponent.
Now the golden boy from Down Under is thousands of miles away from home and in the midst of a new phase of his nearly six-year career — an introduction to the U.S. market, carving out a niche among American boxers.
Known as “Katsidis the Great,” the 26-year-old boxer arrived in Venice shortly before Christmas 2006 to prepare for the World Boxing Organization Interim Lightweight Championship fight in England in February.
Used to the warm Australian summer, the boxer initially came to California to get acclimated to the colder temperature expected in England, training in Venice for about a month and then in New York for another month before making his way to Wembley Arena in London.
His efforts paid off. Katsidis captured the world title, knocking out Graham Earl, who was ranked number-one in the world at the time. Katsidis became the first Australian ever to win the world title in the lightweight class, according to his trainer and manager Brendon Smith.
Since then, Katsidis has found a home in Redwood Boxing Gym, training rigorously for a highly anticipated bout against Czar Amonsot at the Mandalay Bay on July 21, the first defense of his recently acquired world title.
“We love the area,” Smith said Friday.“It’s the perfect training ground for us.”
The state-of-the-art boxing ring is a far cry from where Katsidis began putting up his dukes at the age of 11 in Toowoomba, located about two hours inland from Brisbane.
It was in a dilapidated roofless aluminum shed where Katsidis learned his craft with the help of Smith, a local trainer whom Katsidis had sought when he decided he wanted to be a boxer.
Athleticism runs in the Katsidis family — a maternal uncle was a featherweight fighter, his brother a well-known jockey.
“I think boxing chose me,” Katsidis said on Friday.
Since Katsidis took on professional status in December 2001, he has been compared to the likes of Oscar de la Hoya and Arturo Gatti, compiling an undefeated record of 22- 0 with 20 wins by knockout. To continue his winning streak, Katsidis undergoes a rigorous daily workout schedule, which includes pushing a wheel barrel full of rocks for about 30 meters, continuously swinging a 15-pound sledge hammer and fighting in the ring with former world champions.
Last week, Katsidis started training in the ring with Lupe Aquino, a former middleweight world champion.
The two battled it out for 14 rounds on Friday afternoon.
“He’s in very good condition,” Aquino said following their training session. “He’s very focused, very strong on the inside and has good speed.”
Though Aquino has yet to retire from the profession, he has not been involved in a match since 2003, having suffered from a string of injuries in the past few years, including breaking the femur.
He might not be recognized on the street, but Katsidis said he wouldn’t trade the experience of training and living in the United States for anything, adding that all he needs is his entourage for support.
“My dream is becoming a reality,” Katsidis said.“I’m leaving no stone unturned in achieving my goal.”
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on July 3, 2007. Read the original PDF.