Team Katsidis would like to thank David Schwartz at RENT A WRECK in Los Angeles for his ongoing support of Michael and our team, if you are looking for a car anywhere in the world, Rent A Wreck will take care of what you need.

Thanks again to David and the team at Rent A Wreck

THE problem with Michael Katsidis is that he counts too well.

He knows, for instance, when he goes into a meeting with gaggle of boxing executives and is wearing, say, three rings on his fingers, and shakes hands with all present, that when he gets up to leave he should have at least three rings remaining.

This is not always the case, given the average boxing executive can steal the eye out of a needle.

Not with Katsidis, though.

Katsidis recently walked into a meeting with the promotional team from Golden Boy Productions, owned by Oscar De la Hoya and several other semi-active fighters, and straight away they went to work on him.

Golden Boy was keen to make a deal, they told him. This was perfectly understandable. Katsidis left Australia five years ago and has since built a reputation that was underscored last year when, with Juan Manuel Marquez as his dance partner, they were HBO’s Fight of the Year.

De La Hoya predicted before the fight it would be the Fight of the Year, and now he wanted something more concrete from Katsidis.

And Katsidis was happy to listen until they started to talk.

Then he stopped them halfway in, saying “Guys, I don’t want to be an opponent. I just told you this.”

Golden Boy had some good up-and-comers they wanted to build their reputations on Katsidis, so instead he linked with Vlad Warton, now printing money in America as a mixed martial arts promoter after cutting his teeth, the hard way, with Kostya Tszyu.

Warton sees Katsidis, 31, as untapped, and is looking to remedy that by booking him to fight in April.Outside the boxing faithful, whose numbers dwindle, few Aussies have heard of Katsidis.

Yet he is the most exciting Australian, still active, in the ring, and one of the genuine crowd pleasers in the world. It’s why Golden Boy came calling, after all.

Warton’s job is to make everybody see what they are missing.

As well as hiring Warton, Katsidis left trainer Brendon Smith to link with Justin Fortune in Hollywood.

At the heart of his changes is confusion. Too often he felt he was getting the short end – “You don’t repeatedly fight one of the promoter’s boys in their own backyard,” he says – leading to three losses in his past four fights.

Most graphically, the Marquez fight. Less than six weeks before, Katsidis’s jockey brother, Stathi, died in Brisbane, and tragically at that. Even though Michael lived in Hollywood they were very close. They spoke every day on the phone.

He was convinced to go ahead as a tribute to his brother, but his head wasn’t right.

“I’d just tear up if anybody mentioned his name,” he says.

He was emotionally broken. There were instructions within camp not to say anything about it. Reporters were forbidden from raising it.

None of it helped.

Katsidis blocked it because he couldn’t find strength from it, and then he got blindsided.

He hit Marquez with a left hook that cleared the dandruff off his shoulders, and as Marquez climbed off the canvas, clearly hurt, Katsidis heard the fight caller say, “He’s thinking of his lost brother … ”

“I started thinking too much,” Katsidis says. He thought himself out of it. “I couldn’t hit him with anything I wanted.”

He paused.

In nearly every fight career there is a tale of missed opportunity, and there went one. It’s a mistake he doesn’t intend to repeat.

After a long deliberation from various options available to him, Katsidis “The Great” has decided to team up with
Justin Fortune, himself a top former heavyweight contender, best known for producing a game and spirited performance against arguably one of the best heavyweights of all times in Lennox Lewis.

” It was not easy to make my final decision in respect of who is going to train me.
I had discussions with some of the best names in the business, they all had a lot to offer, so I had to do a lot of thinking to figure out which option is best for me.
I am pleased to have decided to go with Justin as I firmly believe he is the man for the job.
I have a big fight coming up April 13, 2012 against Albert “The Tornado” Mensah for the IBF International Junior Welterweight Championship. I am preparing for a hard fight, I am confident Justin will provide me with the much needed expertise in terms of strength, conditioning, stamina, endurance and fight strategy. Justin will also be the right person to have in my corner when the bell rings, we are getting on really well.
I am sure he is going to play a very important role in my new team.”– said Katsidis

Justin is well regarded and highly qualified in this field of work having been responsible for training many top notch fighters including the one and only Manny Paquiao. He runs a very successful boxing gym in LA full of great sparring partners and certainly has a lot to offer overall.
Justin so far  is very happy with the progress, as the hard preparation work has began. We are all focusing on April 13, as it is going to be an important stepping stone for the entire Team Katsidis.
I would like to thank all the Katsidis ‘The Great” fans for their continuing support and look forward to them cheering Michael on his way to a victory against “The Tornado” Mensah at ringside or glued to television screens.”

http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/sport/boxing/rocky-has-guard-up-over-future-20111208-1olhq.html?skin=text-only

Here he goes again but this time – for the first time – it’s on his own. Speaking from his new training base in Hollywood, lightweight slugger Michael Katsidis tells Phil Lutton about navigating the murky waters of finding a new manager and why he’s no longer content to be the ‘perfect opponent’.

If there’s one piece of information you need to know about Michael Katsidis, it’s that he does things the hard way. The only short cut he would ever consider would be punching his way through a wall if it was too far to get to a door.

He comes from a working class background and fights the fights of a working class fighter; relentlessly chugging forward, unrelenting pressure powered by deep wells of courage. Sometimes, they’ve been too deep for his own good.

All of this makes Hollywood an unlikely new home for the kid from the Darling Downs. But after some heavy losses in the ring and even heavier in life, where he lost his best mate and brother Stathi, you can forgive Katsidis for indulging in some overdue attention.

“It’s actually quite enjoyable. It’s fun to be fussed about a little bit,” Katsidis said of his new surroundings, from where he hopes to relaunch a bright career that has started to lose its way.

In bouts of violent attrition over the years, Katsidis had found himself to be the last one standing. On most occasions, that was good enough. But of late, Katsidis the Great has found himself becoming Katsidis the Fairly Decent.

The matador was back to slaying the bull.

Promotors love his fights because they are like sitting at a safe distance while watching a fireworks factory explode. The only collateral damage for the men making the real money were the fighters delivering the pyrotechnics.

When he was winning, like he did in his one-sided demolition of Kevin Mitchell in London in 2010, the formula looked sound enough. When the decisions started going the other way, like they did against Juan Manuel Marquez, Robert Guerrero and recently, when he was picked off by Scotsman Ricky Burns, it became clear the Katsidis cocktail needed to be shaken up.

Last month, he parted ways with long-time manager Brendon Smith, who has returned to the pair’s hometown of Toowoomba to manage other young prospects after 20 years in charge of his former interim lightweight champion.

Katsidis then moved to train fulltime in the US, where he is working among the stars at Freddie Roach’s famous Wild Card Boxing Club in LA, knocking around bags with the likes of Manny Pacquiao, Amir Khan and double-figure world champion turned promoter, Oscar De La Hoya.

Promoters are scrambling for his signature. Trainers and managers are pressing him to make them part of his team. And all of a sudden, Katsidis the fighter needs to become Katsidis the businessman as he tries to find one of the good guys in a sport hardly known for its honest accounting and scrupulous ethics.

“I do have to be very careful. While it’s all fun and I’m enjoying it, I really am going to be careful,” Katsidis said.

“There’s just a big move and there’s a lot of managers circling at the moment, a lot of promoters, because basically everyone knows there’s a HBO date next year with my name on it.

“It’s just a really careful process at the moment in deciding who exactly I go with. Ultimately, it’s a major and probably final decision I’ll make in my boxing career. I’m in the final phase now and trying to make the most of it.”

Katsidis and Smith parted on good terms, as you would expect from close friends who shared a long and mostly successful partnership. But it’s clear the 31-year-old is loving the chance to have more say in his future.

He has spoken with De La Hoya’s Golden Boy promotions, while companies like Top Rank and Gary Shaw Productions are also interested in doing some deals. Even on a losing streak, Katsidis is still mandatory viewing on a Vegas pay-per-view card.

“As far as managers, there’s a lot of them out there. It’s just being able to pick the right one. A lot of the managers are tied in to specific promotors. It’s hard to find someone that you know,” Katsidis said.

“It’s better to deal with the devil you know sometimes. That’s the business that it is – the brutality business. How do you find a good place in this business? It’s a hard task.”

Already, Katsidis is exercising the freedom you get from being your own man, putting the kybosh on a prospective date with WBC light welterweight champion Erik Morales in the New Year.

It’s precisely the type of fight he would have been expected to take in the past; one which gave punters a thunderous confrontation, at the physical expense of both men, but one Morales would be favourite to win.

As the gatekeeper to a division, Katsidis would get a payday, while Morales would get the cash and the kudos of beating a dangerous opponent never short on fire and brimstone. But for Katsidis, taking this route too often has only led to dead ends. Admirers, and dead ends.

This time, Katsidis has taken a step back to assess his options. After looking strong and sharp at 140 pounds in beating Mexican Michael Lozada on the Gold Coast earlier in the year, Katsidis puzzled some fans when he retreated to lightweight against Burns in a bout where he looked flat and exhausted, losing a unanimous decision.

“I jumped up and down straight away. I told them I don’t want to be an opponent for anyone,” Katsidis said of the proposed Morales bout.

“I know there’s a date later on in the year where I can get set for it, prove myself at 140 and rather than just be an opponent, it will be something the fans will appreciate.

“You can’t come off a loss and go straight into a world title fight. To me, that’s saying you’re just going to be an opponent.”

With his two-year-old daughter Kalia Rose becoming more of a part of his life every day, Katsidis knows he simply can’t take the kind of beatings dished out by the likes of Marquez, who recently lost a controversial decision against Pacquiao.

“It’s a dangerous game. I wouldn’t be able to string a conversation together if I was going to take on any more of those fights. That’s not how it’s going to be,” Katsidis said.

“Pretty much as soon as my contract expired in Australia, they thought I was there for the taking. Fortunately, I have some people interested in me and I can weigh up the best offers for me.”

The issue now for Katsidis is trying to redefine himself as a fighter so deep into his career. He strongly believes he doesn’t need to change a great deal in his approach but has already learned some defensive tricks from Roach and his extensive team of expert trainers.

When he returns to action, he says, it will be these refinements that can once again make him a force at the lighter weights, not just a step-up guy. Exciting? Always. But Katsidis would rather just start winning, rather than feel obliged to take a pounding, or give one out, in the name of entertainment.

“I’m starting to enjoy my boxing over here. As you know, it’s been a rough road. But I’m right amongst it all here in Hollywood. There’s a guy here for every specific job – one guy works on your defence, one guy works on your strength and conditioning. It’s just solely boxing over here and it’s great to be amongst it,” he said.

“It’s the first time I’ve been out on my own. And new things will start to come into my game. With my next fight, the things that I’m learning over here you’ll see things you’ve never seen before. Defensive moves to create more openings – that’s the sort of training I’m doing.

“I’ll alter a couple of things and we’ll see a huge difference in that result.”

When asked if the Burns fight was a smart move – it was in the Scotsman’s back yard when he lifted in weight as Katsidis dropped down – Katsidis was reluctant to delve too far into the issue.

Like everything to do with his life in the fight game, everything is pointing forward. From the pain of defeat has come fresh life and this time, Katsidis is the one driving the bus.

There’s one more thing you need to know about Michael Katsidis – he swears he’s not done for just yet.

The world according to Rocky Katsidis

On his loss to Ricky Burns

“I’m definitely a better fighter. There’s no way he should come close to beating me. There’s a few ways you can look at it. One, I can be stronger at junior welterweight or two, I can fight the fight differently.

“A lot of people would think I should fight differently and it makes the difference. Others think I’ll be better at the other weight. I’ll just let the fighting do the talking and leave the rest of it.”

On moving up to campaign at light welterweight

“A lot of people said there are some big boys in that division. But talking to Oscar (De La Hoya), he’s got all the guys in that division. Roberto Duran was a small fighter and he carried a lot of power in his hands. I think that’s something I can bring into the game as well.”

On finding a new manager and promotor

“It sounds all really good. They can pick you up in a fancy limo but what can they do for me? I’m a worker. I’m from a very humble background. I want to earn my living. I don’t want it just shown in front of me. That doesn’t mean too much to me.

“At the end of the day, it sounds great. But I won’t just say ‘yes’. This guy might get me my next title shot or may not – how do I know? What’s his best interest? These are things I’ll sort out over the next few days.”

On his young family

“Over the past two years, I was lucky to be with my daughter for any stretch of time (as he trained in Thailand). Now I’ve really fallen in love with her all over again. I know the decisions I make aren’t just for me but the future of my family and my daughter as well.”

MICHAEL Katsidis and trainer-manager Brendon Smith have reflected on their 20-year partnership, during which they scaled the heights of world boxing.

One of Toowoomba’s most successful sporting partnerships has come to an end, with Katsidis and Smith parting ways after two decades together.

Katsidis, 31, made the decision to base himself in the United States after losing to Scotland’s Ricky Burns earlier this month in London.

He said he had been in talks with Oscar de la Hoya’s Golden Boy Promotions about continuing his career in the United States.

Katsidis began training with Smith as an 11-year-old and that partnership took the gritty boxer to the Sydney Olympics and to the WBO lightweight world title twice.

Katsidis established himself as one of the toughest fighters in boxing under Smith.

The pair was training for his title fight against Juan Manuel Marquez in Thailand last year when news came through that Katsidis’ brother, champion jockey Stathi, had died.

“It was one of the hardest decisions of my life,” Katsidis said of splitting with Smith.

“I first walked in to his tin shed, when it didn’t even have a roof, when I was 11 years old.

“For the best part of 20 years we’ve worked together and we’ve gone as far as we can go now,” he said.

“We’ve been through everything and the main thing I wanted to get out now I’m ready to comment and the main thing I would say is if anyone wants to get a world title, Brendon is the bloke (to train under).”

Katsidis said there was no ill-will between him and Smith, and that he was excited about the next chapter of his career.

Smith said he didn’t see Katsidis’ decision coming, but wished his former fighter and his family well.

“I’m very proud in playing a major role in working with Michael in helping him achieve not only one world title but two, and helping him defend those titles in the world (boxing) capital of Vegas,” Smith said.

“What an incredible journey we had. It’s been a wonderful, tough and enjoyable journey.

“All good things do come to an end.”

As the Australian boxer worked out for the cameras on the other side of the world at an east London gym, he was keenly aware it was the first Tuesday in November.

He knew how much his brother – champion jockey Stathi, who died from a drug overdose just over 12 months ago – would have loved to have ridden the winner in the great race.

But the two-time world titleholder has a job at hand this week in preparing for Saturday night’s showdown against Scotsman Ricky Burns in London for the interim WBO lightweight title.

An extended amount of time with family has helped Katsidis through the grieving process but this week’s Melbourne Cup revived memories of his older brother.

“Of course it does,” Katsidis said.

“It spurs me on now.

“I have spent six months back home in Australia with the family and that has been really important to me mentally.

“I think I have done everything I needed to do in the gym.

“Now it is just a matter of doing the weight and I am in fight mode now.”

Katsidis, 31, has built up a formidable reputation in the United Kingdom on the back of memorable battles against Graham Earl in 2007 and Kevin Mitchell last year.

With a career record of 28 wins (23KOs) and four losses, the Queenslander said this weekend’s fight at Wembley Arena would be career defining.

“It is (for) my third world title, so it is everything,” he said.

“Just looking back, it was this time last year that I lost my world title and my brother at the same time.

“A year later, I am back and I want to win a few brothers too.”

After back-to-back defeats to stars Juan Manuel Marquez and Robert Guerrero, Katsidis won his most recent bout at light welterweight against Mexican Michael Lozada on the Gold Coast in August.

He believed he was coming into the prime period of his career.

“I fought the absolute best in the world. There was not one of those fights that I did not come within a whisker of nearly winning,” he said.

“I believe all I need is a perfect preparation to blast these guys out of the water. So I feel very, very confident.”

Burns (32 wins, 2 losses, 9KOs), who will make the step up from super featherweight, enjoys a 10cm advantage in reach on the Queenslander.

“He is going to be the best that Britain has produced that I have fought so far,” Katsidis said.

AAP

Promoter Frank Warren invites all media to attend the following events
ahead of the show at Wembley Arena on Saturday 5th November:

*Tuesday 1st November: Katsidis Media work-out*
Michael Katsidis will perform a media work-out and meet with the media to
discuss his forthcoming Interim WBO World title challenge against Ricky
Burns:
*Peacock Gym*
*Peacock House*
*Caxton Street*
*London, E16 1JL*
*Time: 1pm start*

*Wednesday 2nd November: Groves Media work-out*
George Groves will perform a media work-out and meet with the media to
discuss his forthcoming British and Commonwealth title defence against Paul
Smith:
*Hayemaker Gym*
*Railway Arch 116*
*Randal Road*
*London*
*SE11 5JR*
*(Nearest tube/train station is Vauxhall)*
*Time: 1pm start*

*Thursday 3rd November: Press Conference****
Burns-Katsidis/Groves-Smith, plus Southern Area Middleweight Champion Gary
Boulden and Billy Joe Saunders will all meet head-to-head at:
*Wembley Arena – Hospitality Suite*
*Arena Square*
*Engineers Way*
*London, HA9 0AA*
*Time: 11.30am for a 12noon start*

*Friday 4th November: Weigh-in*
All boxers’ will weigh-in at:
*Wembley Arena – Hospitality Suite*
*(Address as above)*
*Time: 2pm start*
* *

The winner of the lightweight battle between Ricky Burns and Michael Katsidis, will fall in line for a shot at WBO lightweight champion Juan Manuel Marquez. The sanctioning body issued a ruling at their annual convention in Puerto Rico, that Marquez would have to face the Burns-Katsidis.

The fight depends on the outcome of Marquez’s trilogy bout, set for November 12 in Las Vegas, with WBO welterweight champion Manny Pacquiao. It also depends on whether or not Marquez, win or lose with Pacquiao, returns to the lightweight division.

Burns and Katsidis will battle for the vacant WBO interim title on November 5th at Wembley Arena in London. If Marquez decides to continue his career above 135-pounds, the winner of Burns-Katsidis would become the full champion.

Marquez already faced Katsidis in 2010, where the Mexican boxer got off the floor in the third round to stop the tough Australian in the ninth.