Note: We have live coverage just about to start (5:30pm EDT) of the Krysztof Wlodarczyk-Giacobbe Fragomeni rematch. Go here.

Michael Katsidis bucked the UK odds and powered through Kevin Mitchell in three rounds at Upton Park, scoring a devastating win that took the wind out of the sails of around 20,000 in attendance.

Katsidis (27-2, 22 KO) was landing the better shots in the first two rounds, though Mitchell was likely ahead 2-0 on the official cards at the time, given how scoring goes on such decisive home turf as this was. In the third, Katsidis wobbled Mitchell (31-1, 23 KO) very early, and with the Dagenham native on shaky legs, simply poured on the pressure.

Mitchell showed heart, alternately fighting back and doing his best to hang on and get his legs back under him. But it wasn't to be. Katsidis stunned Mitchell with a left hook, and referee Dave Parris jumped in to stop the action as Katsidis was nearing a bad knockout.

After the fight, both fighters showed true class in interviewers, and Sky Sports' Adam Smith even joked that maybe if Katsidis comes back, they can find a fighter to beat him. He has twice now come to London and destroyed tough British fighters in concrete fashion.

Katsidis may well be able to line himself up for a shot at the winner of the Marquez-Diaz rematch, coming on July 31. The WBO ordered Marquez-Katsidis last winter, but the fight didn't come off. Katsidis has fought and lost to Diaz, but in a way that made me want to see them fight again. Diaz is a bit more shop-worn now than he was then, and Katsidis boxed with a terrible game plan in the first fight. Since then, he's gotten back to business and been more himself. His style and power was just way too much for Mitchell today, as he was able to bully him with ease whenever he had the inclination to do so.

For Mitchell, it's back to the drawing board. He is a good fighter, but physically was overmatched by Katsidis, who was just too strong for him. At 25, he's got a lot of career left, and there's no reason he can't still have a fine run. He's not done by a longshot.

On the undercard, Derek Chisora (13-0, 8 KO) easily stopped Danny Williams (41-9, 31 KO) in two rounds. Williams, weighing in at a career-high 275 pounds, offered no resistance. Sky reported that Ricky Hatton said that he'd never seen a fighter more nervous than Williams was in the locker room beforehand, and he seemed like he didn't want to be there. It was predictable; Williams had been talking retirement before the bout, saying this would be his final fight. As I expected, he had no fire whatsoever.

James DeGale, Frankie Gavin and Billy Joe Saunders all won again as well.

Be sure to join us later tonight at 9:45pm EDT for the HBO double-header, main evented by Khan-Malignaggi.

Today at 3pm EDT in the States, Sky Sports will go live from West Ham's football grounds in London with a loaded card of action, culminating in the lightweight main event between Michael Katsidis and Kevin Mitchell. We'll be here with live, round-by-round coverage, scoring, analysis and chat throughout the fight. Those in the U.S. will have to find a stream, but please, no stream sharing in the thread. Join us!

MICHAEL KATSIDIS "The Great"		KEVIN MITCHELL "The Hammer"
	Main Event

Also on the card:

British Heavyweight Title: Danny Williams v. Derek Chisora
James DeGale, Frankie Gavin and Billy Joe Saunders in action

Mitchell ready for big time (Sky Sports)
Kevin Mitchell believes today's the day he joins the world's elite boxers. He says of Katsidis: "He's strong and is a tough man but that will be his downfall. I'll walk through him."

Best of British ready to rule the world (The Mirror)
Barry McGuigan says it could be a great night for British boxing if Kevin Mitchell and Amir Khan are both successful, and picks both to win.

Speed Chess: Khan v Malignaggi Preview & Prediction (Safe Side of the Ropes)
Andrew Harrison previews the Khan-Malignaggi bout.

Earl fears for Mitchell (Sky Sports)
Graham Earl, who has felt Katsidis' power and had his career functionally ended by the Aussie, is a friend of both fighters. And he believes Mitchell may be taking the step up too soon.

Kevin Mitchell claims Amir Khan is scared of him (The Mirror)
Mitchell: "Amir doesn't want to fight anyone who can punch."

Amir: I Khan mix it with the best (The Sun)
The Sun has great titles.

Malignaggi Laughs at Khan's Mayweather, Pacquiao Dreams (BoxingScene.com)
Malignaggi: "[Khan] really believes his own hype. ... [H]e doesn't understand where he's at."

Khan entering choppy waters (BBC Sport)
There are many differences between the UK and US. Subtle differences, but differences. For instance, American Teddy Atlas has deep waters. Ben Dirs of BBC Sport has choppy waters. Color, colour.

On Saturday, two televised shows feature four fights we'll preview in this one post. Nothing is three.

Let's just get to it.

Lightweights: Michael Katsidis v. Kevin Mitchell (12 Rounds, Interim WBO Title, Sky Sports)

This fight could go a couple ways. It could be a war, a thriller with Katsidis attempting to impose his will on Mitchell. If he succeeds in imposing his will, that's what type of fight it will be, and it will favor Katsidis.

The other one is not quite as promising. Mitchell is no dummy in the ring. He knows what Katsidis is and what he isn't. He knew exactly what Breidis Prescott wasn't, and he used that for a routine 12-round decision win. He never let Prescott do much of anything. If Mitchell doesn't get caught up in the heat of the moment, that's what type of fight this will be, and it will favor Mitchell.

Kevin Mitchell almost became something of a forgotten young UK fighter. As Amir Khan rose, Mitchell got hurt and sat out a year, then returned with two gimme fights before delighting the people who still thought Prescott could fight with his "surprisingly" easy win over the Colombian.

This fight has Mitchell in the broad spotlight for the first time. He's main eventing on West Ham's football grounds, against a known international fighter who gave UK fans quite a show a few years ago when he put an effective end to Graham Earl's career in London.

Katsidis (26-2, 21 KO) and Mitchell (31-0, 23 KO) are both riding win streaks. Mitchell's, obviously, is at 31 and counting, while Katsidis has come back well with three straight victories since back-to-back losses to Joel Casamayor and Juan Diaz. But if Katsidis had fought Mitchell's 31 opponents, he'd be 31-0, too. If Mitchell had fought Katsidis' 28, I'm not so sure he'd be 26-2, let alone 28-0.

Mitchell is a good fighter, though, a top ten guy at lightweight along with Katsidis. What's bothersome is that the 25-year-old Dagenham native is taking a major step up in class. I know Katsidis is no exemplary practitioner of the sweet science, but what he does well, he does very well. He can take shots with the best of them -- he was caught cold and jumpy in the first against Casamayor, and wide open in the 10th. He's learned from that. He took hard, clean shots from Vicente Escobedo without taking a step back in his last fight, and Escobedo is a lot better than he's given credit for when it comes to this fight.

It's a toss-up fight, which is why it's a good matchup. The man who executes his plan best (if it's the right plan) will win this fight, most likely. The backup is the comeback ability. If Katsidis is executing his plan well, can Mitchell still win? If Mitchell is boxing Katsidis' ears off, can Katsidis still win? Mitchell would have to outbrawl Katsidis and perhaps hope for a cut stoppage. Katsidis would just have to be Michael Katsidis and look for the home run, or at least an accumulation of doubles that score enough runs for a mercy ruling.

I slightly favor the Aussie in this one. Katsidis TKO-11

Heavyweights: Danny Williams v. Derek Chisora (12 Rounds, British Title, Sky Sports)

The main co-feature to Katsidis-Mitchell will be the mildly-anticipated fight for the British heavyweight strap between veteran Danny Williams and upstart villain Derek Chisora. This was supposed to be (again) Williams against Sam Sexton, but Sexton pulled out. Williams (41-8, 31 KO) hasn't fought since losing a three-rounder in Prizefighter against Carl Baker last October, a fight he likely would have won over a longer distance, given Baker's general fitness level. But Williams went down twice in the opening round of that fight, and really can't blame anyone but himself.

Chisora (12-0, 7 KO) has been mowing through opposition, including Sexton and, in his last fight, Baker, whom he stopped in two rounds. Every time I fully count out Danny Williams, he surprises me. So I don't think he has no shot. But I'm going with the younger, more determined, more ferocious Chisora. Williams in interviews sounds like he's already retired for all intents and purposes, planning his post-boxing career and saying this is his last fight. Chisora's going to hit him, and I don't know that Danny has much left to fight back when it gets going the wrong way. I could see Williams sparking Chisora early in this fight and winning that way, but that's about it. Chisora TKO-6

Dave Oakes at The Boxing Bulletin has a more extensive preview of the full Katsidis-Mitchell undercard, too. And you should read his in-depth preview of Katsidis-Mitchell as well.

Editor's Note: Danny Williams weighed in at 275 pounds, so make it Chisora TKO-4.

Junior Welterweights: Amir Khan v. Paulie Malignaggi (12 Rounds, WBA Title, HBO)

In all the talk of this fight and what favors which man, and the back-and-forth in the press, and Paulie playing the "overlooked" card again, and Khan being a guy who sends his schlong to models via text message (allegedly), I'm most interested to see something that hasn't come up much.

I think the biggest test for Khan (22-1, 16 KO) in this fight is going to be his speed. He's got fast hands, but those fast hands have been shown against Andriy Kotelnik, Oisin Fagan, Marco Antonio Barrera, Graham Earl, Dmitriy Salita, Martin Kristjansen, Gairy St. Clair, Willie Limond, etc.

In short, not a bunch of speed merchants or guys who truly specialize in the defensive side of the game.

Paul Malignaggi (27-3, 5 KO) might not be among the very fastest guys in the sport, but he's got some speed, and when he's focused, he's really good defensively. Khan's closest career comparable is Kotelnik. (Say that sentence out loud, it's fun.)

Kotelnik, while intelligent and technically sound, is not as good as Malignaggi is when Malignaggi is at his best, and there is no reason to believe that Paulie isn't coming to put on the best performance of his career. Let's face it, if Malignaggi beats Khan, he's in line for another money fight. His career seemed possibly OUT of money fights after the Hatton drubbing, when everyone went, "He's good, but there's only so much he can do, and I think we've seen it all." The Juan Diaz fights rescued his career from the brink. A win over Khan, which would ruin big Golden Boy and HBO plans, would be huge for him. He'd then be in line to fight guys like Tim Bradley and Devon Alexander (where Paulie would be the drawing card), and even continue to have that outside shot at a REALLY big fight.

On the other hand for Malignaggi, a convincing loss to a young kid with an already infamously weak chin would hurt a lot. He has a lot to gain and lose on Saturday. So does Khan, of course, but Khan's weaknesses are not really something he has full control over. Malignaggi has only looked iffy in fights when it seems like it was something mental more than physical, or he was just beaten by better fighters like Cotto and Hatton.

So, speed. I don't doubt that Khan is faster than Paulie, but I do wonder if he's so much faster that Malignaggi can't handle it. Paulie has a really good chin and is not going to be afraid to get hit by Khan, I don't think. Really, I could see this turn into quite a spirited battle, if something of a pillow fight. Malignaggi's good chin negates some of Khan's power, I believe, and Paulie's fragile hands and complete lack of power do negate Khan's awful chin to some degree.

I really think the outcome of this fight depends mostly on Malignaggi. If he puts on a great performance within his known limits of performance, he's going to win. Khan isn't going to blast him out in one or two rounds, and Malignaggi isn't going to give up like Kotelnik more or less eventually did. So Khan is more likely to have to dig truly deep than Paulie is. But if Paulie isn't at his best, Khan will win decisively in a dull fight. I just have a feeling the Amir Khan train stalls out again, but I think this will be an entertaining tactical fight. Malignaggi UD-12

Junior Welterweights: Nate Campbell v. Victor Ortiz (12 Rounds, HBO)

This isn't even really a crossroads fight. This is two guys on the brink who need something impressive, and bad. Nate Campbell (33-5-1, 25 KO) is 38 years old and looked slow and old up at 140 last time out. Victor Ortiz (26-2-1, 21 KO) is 23 years old and has major questions about his guts after the Maidana fight last year.

A lot of folks think Campbell is going to take Ortiz to school, and I can see why. He did it to Juan Diaz, and Ortiz has those fortitude issues lingering. But I hesitate to compare those fights for a few reasons:

1. Campbell is older now and has been pretty inactive since that fight.
2. Diaz can't punch. Ortiz can.
3. Campbell doesn't punch like Maidana.

Part of me thinks Ortiz could overwhelm Campbell early with his strength. At 140, Ortiz is very powerful, and you can't ignore that. He also punches with pretty good accuracy and is a southpaw. But I hesitate there because:

1. Campbell is tougher than hell and really hard to keep down.
2. Campbell has been around the block and knows Ortiz is strong.
3. Campbell won't let this turn into a brawl early if he can do anything to help it.

I do expect Ortiz will come out full of piss and vinegar despite his tentative nature against Antonio Diaz and that joke of a fight with Hector Alatorre. But I also expect Campbell to do everything he can to disrupt Ortiz, even if he has to make it ugly and hold a lot. If Campbell can get Ortiz to expend too much energy looking for the early KO, look for the veteran to start leaning on Ortiz and banging to the body.

If the fight doesn't go how I think it might, and Ortiz comes out unsure of himself, Campbell will just win. It's actually my head telling me not to bet on old man Campbell here, that Ortiz is too young and has too many skills, and that he hits too hard for this fading version of "The Galaxxy Warrior" to handle. And it's my heart telling me that Ortiz has pretty much always been overhyped, a talented boxer whose heart might not really be in it enough when the smiling and the goofy quotes fade, and he's up against a man who isn't going to roll over the way guys like Jeff Resto and Mike Arnaoutis did. I'm going with heart, 'cause f**k it. Campbell TKO-9

This Saturday's most intriguing fight, in my view, is not the 140-pound belt clash between Amir Khan and Paul Malignaggi on HBO, but rather the fight between Michael Katsidis and Kevin Mitchell in the UK, which should simply be more exciting. We'll start with the favorite, road warrior Katsidis.

Fight 1: Joel Casamayor (L-TKO-10 / March 22, 2008)

The Aussie with the Greek blood who fancies himself something a Spartan warrior met something entirely new. I remember thinking a day or two before this fight that we could be in for something special. I knew we were when Casamayor entered the ring and immediately got in Katsidis' face. Katsidis, wearing his silly helmet, looked like he didn't really know how to respond to Casamayor. It looked right then as if the mean old veteran had gotten into the upstart brawler's head.

And what a fight it was. Casamayor dropped Katsidis twice in the opening round, but after that, the younger, stronger Katsidis was able to take over with effective aggression and pure pressure tactics. It was a fascinating fight to watch. Boxers don't come much different than Casamayor, the well-schooled amateur who knows every trick (dirty and clean) in the book, and the straight-ahead, likable Katsidis, who always gives his best effort. By the time the 10th round started off, Katsidis had taken the lead on my scorecard, as well as two of the three official cards. He was leading 84-83 on two cards despite a 7-10 first round. (The third card had Casamayor up 85-82.)

Then it happened. Casamayor caught Katsidis wide open with a great shot, sending him crashing to the canvas again. The brave Katsidis made it to his feet, but Casamayor finished him off in moments, closing in for the kill. Katsidis had built a reputation for blood and guts with vicious wins over Graham Earl and Czar Amonsot, and though he suffered his first loss against a better class of fighter, he left people wanting to see him again.

Fight 2: Juan Diaz (L-SD-12 / September 6, 2008)

Katsidis and trainer-manager Brendon Smith came up with a peculiar game plan for this fight, in Diaz's hometown of Houston, Texas. They were going to box Diaz, who had shown an aversion to being cut and handling pressure in his last bout against Nate Campbell. When you really think about that, it makes absolutely no sense. Not only is Diaz a better boxer than Katsidis, but what Katsidis is good at -- wearing guys down and sapping their will -- had been how Diaz lost to Campbell.

Were they looking to throw a curveball? I have no clue. After, they felt they'd won, which made three people on earth, along with ringside judge Glen Hamada. Even the two winning scores for Diaz (115-113 and 116-112) seemed tight to me. Katsidis was out there doing a Joshua Clottey impersonation or something, and Diaz just racked up the points. It was a really disappointing fight, as most everyone expected a war, and it was anything but.

Fight 3: Angel Hugo Ramirez (W-UD-10 / January 31, 2009)

A rebound fight in the Philippines, where Katsidis is a bit of a star thanks to his fight with Amonsot. Katsidis also currently lives in Thailand, for whatever that's worth. Likely little. Ramirez went down in the second, third and fourth. Katsidis was penalized a point for hitting Ramirez while he was down in the second. Official scores were 98-87 and 96-89 (twice). Nothing more than a rebound win.

Fight 4: Jesus Chavez (W-TKO-8 / April 4, 2009)

The faded Chavez, who once put up a bit of a fight against Floyd Mayweather Jr., was on a comeback bid. The Lightweight Lightning PPV on this night amounted to nothing (tournament my ass), but we did get to see that all Chavez really has left is spirit. Katsidis put a pretty good pounding on Chavez, who didn't look any less tough than before, but looked decidedly less skilled and just past it. After seven rounds, Chavez quit on his stool. Chavez probably should have retired then, but came back to lose to David Diaz and then Humberto Soto later in '09.

Note: Before someone goes bananas, I don't mean to say that Mayweather-Chavez was close. It wasn't. But Chavez showed a lot more spirit than most guys ever have against Floyd, and Mayweather worked to stop Chavez.

Fight 5: Vicente Escobedo (W-SD-12 / September 19, 2009)

On the Mayweather-Marquez undercard, Katsidis and Escobedo put on a solid bout full of action, with Katsidis winning wide on my card, but again getting a split decision, this time in his favor. Escobedo and Katsidis both fought their hardest, and Katsidis even appeared to leave with a possible broken jaw, which turned out to not be the case. It was more reminiscent of the pre-Casamayor Katsidis than he'd been in the fights against Diaz and Chavez, but maybe that was just the blood talking. I'd also note that it was the first time Katsidis proved he could out-fight a better boxer, and was the best win of Katsidis' career to date.

Continue reading this post »

Frank Warren still has some final touches to put on a massive May 15 card, the but British promoter is thinking big with his May 15 main event. Kevin Mitchell will get a chance at a dream when he fights Michael Katsidis at Upton Park, on the home grounds of the West Ham United football club.

Katsidis (26-2, 21 KO) and Mitchell (31-0, 23 KO) will fight for the interim WBO lightweight title. Warren is stacking an undercard, too, with his Olympic prospects and some heavyweight action.

• Sam Sexton (13-1, 6 KO) v. Danny Williams (41-8, 31 KO)
• Derek Chisora (12-0, 7 KO) v. TBA
• James DeGale (6-0, 4 KO) v. TBA for a minor WBA trinket at 168, which of course will be hyped as if it's meaningful
• Frankie Gavin (6-0, 5 KO) and Billy Joe Saunders (5-0, 3 KO) will also be in action once again
• BoxRec has Matthew Hall (22-2, 15 KO) listed for action, too