Michael Katsidis Staying at 140 After Rolling Over Lozada in Australia

As expected, Michael Katsidis had no real problem getting past Michael Lozada, knocking out the Mexican visitor in the third round on a crushing body shot. It was Katsidis' first fight at 140 pounds, and his first fight in Australia since 2006.

Katsidis says that he was feeling good fighting at home and at the new weight, and that he intends to stay at 140 pounds, and restated his desire to face Mexican star Erik Morales. Morales vs Katsidis will always be a good fight, no matter what happens with Morales against Lucas Matthysse on September 17, so I like that idea fine.

But will Katsidis be able to become a serious contender at 140 pounds? Maybe, maybe not. And the maybe depends on who leaves the weight class.

There are guys at 140 that Katsidis just will not beat. But Amir Khan and probably Timothy Bradley are headed out of the division. That would leave the likes of Robert Guerrero (who has already outclassed Katsidis in the past), Marcos Maidana, Humberto Soto, Morales, Matthysse, Zab Judah, etc., and I do think Katsidis can compete with those guys minus Guerrero, because the style matchups aren't terrible for him. It's all about how easily someone can control Katsidis, and most of those fighters would be willing to meet him head-on in the sort of fight he likes.

Katsidis (28-4, 23 KO) may not be a great fighter, and he may be wearing down at age 30. But he's got a lot of fight left mentally, and it's not as if he's going to retire, because he's just a born fighter. An early retirement and enjoying the fruits of his labors, that's just not in Katsidis. He's going to fight, and while I will be honest and say I wouldn't see him as a solid against any of those guys mentioned above, I think he could put on good fights with them.