Khan vs Maidana Press Conference (Photos)

Amir “King” Khan returns to the United States for his second consecutive bout to defend his World Boxing Association (WBA) 140-pound World Championship against ferocious Argentinean knockout artist and WBA Super Lightweight Interim World Champion Marcos Maidana at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas, Nevada. The highly anticipated bout will be televised live in the United States on HBO’s World Championship Boxing.

Khan vs Maidana Press Conference (Photos)

Khan vs. Maidana Live in Vegas on December 11

WBA light welterweight champion Amir Khan (23-1, 17 KO’s) and WBA light welterweight interim champion Marcos Maidana (29-1, 27 KO’s) signed the contract for a fight that will be taking place on December 11th, at the Mandalay Bay, in Las Vegas, Nevada. Dan Rafael reports that the 23-year-old Khan wanted the fight to take place in his native England.

Maidana was okay with this as long as he got paid more money. Khan wasn’t interested in giving him extra cash, so now the fight will be taking place in Las Vegas. Khan will receive $1.5 million, along with revenue from the UK television rights. Maidana will get $550,000, and possibly more if he wins the fight.

Maidana had requested the fight go to purse bids, because he was unhappy with the money that was offered to him. However, with the negotiations now settled, it will no longer be necessary for a purse bid for the bout.

This will be by far Khan’s toughest defense of his World Boxing Association light welterweight title, which he won last year with a lopsided 12 round decision over Andriy Kotelnik.

Khan has defended the title twice, once against Dmitri Salita and another time against former IBF light welterweight champion Paulie Malignaggi. Neither fight was competitive, especially the Salita fight. He was taken out in one round by Khan. Maidana hits a lot harder than Malignaggi and Salita, although he is vulnerable to getting hurt. Maidana was dropped multiple times by Victor Ortiz in his fight with him last year.

Maidana was never badly hurt, and came back to stop Ortiz in the 6th round with a series of punishing shots to the head. If Khan can’t knock Maidana out, he could be facing a very tough fight. Maidana isn’t very fast of hand or on his feet, but he has a way of wearing down his opponents with his constant bombardment of heavy shots. Khan will have a big advantage in speed and movement, but Maidana is a lot more relentless with his pressure.

Maidana cuts off the ring better than Kotelnik and hits a lot harder than him as well. Khan may find it tougher running from Maidana than he did against Kotelnik. He may actually have to fight him to get the win. Maidana isn’t someone that can be beaten on the cheap. You have to actually fight him to beat him.

Kotelnik was able to win a controversial decision over Maidana last year in a fight that took place in Germany. However, few people agree with the decision and Kotelnik took an enormous amount of heavy shots in the fight and was left a bloody mess by the end of the 12th. It would be interesting to see if Khan could take that kind of punishment and still remain standing at the end of the fight.

Maidana looked poor in his last fight against DeMarcus Corley last month. Maidana won the fight by a 12 round decision but looked sloppy and tired in the later rounds.

Marquez stops Katsidis in 9th

On November 27, 2010 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena, Juan Manuel Marquez and Michael Katsidis waged a relentless battle that is without doubt the fight of the year. Katsidis a fighter with a big heart and great strength exerted constant pressure on Marquez, seeking to overwhelm the Aztec champion, eventually landing a terrific left hook which sent Marquez to the canvas.

Click here: Marquez vs Katsidis Fight Images

Marquez recovered quickly and continued to hit the Greek warrior with pinpoint punching in combinations, eventually catching Katsidis with deadly uppercuts which marked the end for the brave Katsidis. Katsidis couldn’t recover from the vicious uppercuts thrown by Marquez and the fight was stopped at 2:14 of the ninth round.

Contrary to what fairy tales portray, in this world it is falsehood that triumphs over truth, evil men who succeed and good men who are destroyed. In the Boxing world it is no different. Fortunes are paid to frauds, boxers who get handpicked opponents, who they can easily beat up, starving them at catch-weights which render them little less than walking corpses, lifeless punching bags for the Circus of a fight, frauds who have the media and promoters protecting them from fighting a real fight. In the past all you had to do to make big money was fight as a Heavy-Weight, it didn’t matter that you couldn’t tell the difference between a jab and a left hook, as long as you weighed over two hundred pounds you were considered worthy of getting paid millions. Heavy weights made millions of dollars hugging for twelve rounds. Now the fraud is to have catch-weights, where one guy punches the hell out of zombies who can’t even break a sweat because their bodies are so starved and dehydrated.

Juan Manuel Marquez represents the honest boxer who has never been afraid of an honest fight. At the prime of his abilities everyone feared him and ran from him. Emanuel Steward stated that when he trained Naseem Hamed, Steward advised Hamed to stay away from Marquez, period. Erik Morales and Marco Antonio Barrera did the same thing. Marquez was kept out of big fights and big pay days during his prime, because he didn’t have a sugar daddy like Bob Arum to protect and promote him. It is in the later part of his career that Juan Manuel Marquez has finally been able to get the recognition that he always deserved. Marquez has gained his legendary status not through starving and handpicking his opponents, but by fighting dangerous and competitive fighters where the risk was real: Chris John, Rocky Juarez, Manny Pacquiao, Joel Casamayor, Juan Diaz, Floyd Mayweather, Marco Antonio Barrera, Michael Katsidis, and many others. If this world was just and good, fighters like Juan Manuel Marquez would be making the big fortunes and not the circus freaks that use the media to dazzle and fool the ingenuous public.

Juan Manuel (Dynamite) Marquez belongs in the class of those great fighters like Roberto Duran, Thomas Hearns, Wilfred Benitez, Salvador Sanchez, Marvin Hagler, Alexis Arguello, Julio Cesar Chavez, and many other great fighters of modern times who fought anyone who was a challenge no matter the risk. The legendary lightweight champion Roberto Duran fought the best at Welterweight, Junior Middleweight, Middleweight, Super middleweight, without requesting that they come down to catch-weights, he fought them at their own weights, defeating big men like Iran Barkley. Roberto Duran would never be remembered as a Legend if he had made Iran Barkley come down to Welterweight, where he could have knocked him out easily after making him lose that much weight in muscle and water.

Marquez vs. Katsidis is the fight of the year because you had two strong warriors, neither of which had an unfair edge on the other, Marquez didn’t make Katsidis fight at a catch weight of Super featherweight, he fought him at Katsidis natural weight division, Lightweight. That is why Katsidis was so strong and was able to battle with Marquez the way he did to make this the fight of the year.

Honest hard-core boxing fans are grateful for boxers like Juan Manuel Marquez, who gives us real boxing fights. Some people are speaking about a possible third fight between Juan Manuel Marquez and Manny Pacquiao. It is time for Manny Pacquiao to take some of his own medicine and come down to a catch weight of 135 or 140 to fight Marquez. Pacquiao doesn’t think it is ridiculous to make his opponents come down to a catch weight to fight him, then if he is an honest and good man, he should be willing to come down to a catch weight to fight a smaller Boxer like Marquez. What’s good for the goose is good for the gander. But of course Manny will hide behind his sugar daddy Arum and impose his ridiculous conditions; it would not surprise me if they asked for Marquez to fight with one hand tied behind his back.

Hard-core boxing fans salute Marquez and Katsidis for giving us a great and honest Boxing fight of the year.

Marquez vs Katsidis Fight Images

Juan Manuel Marquez of Mexico lands a punch on opponent Michael Katsidis of Australia before defeating him by a TKO in the 9th round during their WBA & WBO Lightweight Title bout at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas on November 27, 2010. Barely a month after the death of his older brother, Australian Michael Katsidis faced the biggest fight of his life in the double world title showdown against Juan Manuel Marquez. Katsidis, 27-2 with 22 knockouts, faced World Boxing Association and World Boxing Organization lightweight champion Juan Manuel Marquez, 51-5 with one draw and 37 knockouts, in a possible launching pad fight for the Mexican.

Marquez vs Katsidis Fight Images

(Photo by Mark Ralston/AFP/Getty Images)

Watch Marquez vs Katsidis Live Stream

Watch Marquez vs Katsidis Live Stream Online. These two are meeting in the middle literally as well as stylistically, when they walk to the center of the ring for the second of two Saturday bouts that could be the Fight of the Year. These are the two best lightweights in the world, as Katsidis is ranked #1 by Ring magazine. Marquez also boasts pound-for-pound top-5 credentials.

The boxing title Marquez vs Katsidis video is set to take place on November 27, 2010 at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Nevada, USA and on Marquez vs Katsidis live stream on HBO (WCB) World Championship Boxing then the results, replay and highlights to follow.

Juan Manuel is on the mix of the possible next opponents for Pacquiao after the latter dominated his last bout. But before the trilogy be considered, he must first get pass through Michael, a very tough lightweight.

Watch the Juan Manuel Marquez vs Michael Katsidis fight video and highlights replay whenever available as well as the results. Also live stream will be posted before the fight.

Juan Manuel Marquez vs. Michael Katsidis Preview

Juan Manuel Marquez makes his mandatory lightweight title defense this Saturday against Michael Katsidis at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. The fight will headline an HBO tripleheader which includes Andre Berto vs. Freddy Hernandez and Celestino Caballero vs. Jason Litzau. The action begins at 9:45 pm ET on HBO this Saturday.

Juan Manuel Marquez vs. Michael Katsidis
Money Line: Marquez -300; Katsidis +220
WBO Lightweight Title

Juan Manuel Marquez (51-5-1, 37 KOs) is still one of the best at his craft despite his 37 years of age. It’s an easy statement to overlook considering Marquez has won only three of his last five fights. But when those two losses come to pound-for-pound elite Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Manny Pacquiao, Marquez certainly may not be getting his just due. Two wins over former lightweight champion Juan Diaz have put Marquez atop a weight class for the third time in his Hall of Fame career. Explosiveness and grit have not only endeared Marquez to a nation of Mexican fans, it’s also earned him respect amongst boxing fans across the globe.

One would have to travel the globe in order to find the opponent for Juan Manuel Marquez this Saturday, Australia’s Michael Katsidis (27-2, 22 KOs). Known for his warrior spirit in the ring, Katsidis is a perfect compliment of style to Mexico’s Marquez. Neither man can be in a bad fight so expectations are running high. At 30 years old, Katsidis not only has youth on his side, but he has fought all ten years of his professional career at lightweight. After back-to-back losses, although thrilling, to Joel Casamayor and Juan Diaz, Michael Katsidis has rolled off four consecutive victories. Even though Marquez isn’t the guy you would want to slug it out with, chances are that Katsidis will bring it at him anyway.

Watch Marquez vs Katsidis Live Stream Online!

Full card set for Marquez vs Katsidis

Just two days after boxing fans celebrate Thanksgiving, the holiday feast continues on Saturday, November 27, as Golden Boy Promotions presents an All-Star lineup of fights that will lift the roof off the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nev.

Watch Marquez vs Katsidis Live Stream Online!

Headlining this scheduled eight bout card is an HBO-televised tripleheader featuring the highly-anticipated slugfest between Ring Magazine, WBA & WBO Lightweight World Champion Juan Manuel “Dinamita” Marquez (51-5-1, 37 KOs) and Australian action hero and WBO Interim Lightweight World Champion Michael Katsidis “The Great” (27-2, 22 KOs), the WBC Welterweight World Title bout pitting unbeaten champion Andre Berto (26-0, 20 KOs) against Mexican challenger Freddy Hernandez (29-1, 20 KOs) and the junior lightweight showdown between Two-Division World Champion Celestino Caballero (34-2, 23 KOs) and Jason Litzau (27-2, 21 KOs).

And while that triple dose of world-class boxing action will have the fight world buzzing on Saturday night, fans at MGM Grand this holiday weekend will have even more to be thankful for, with six more exciting bouts featuring the present and future of the sport.

In a eight-round bout, thrill-a-minute former World Champion Nate “The Galaxxy Warrior” Campbell (33-6-1, 25 KOs) returns to the lightweight division to begin another title run against Colombian tough-man Walter Estrada (37-13-1, 25 KOs) who is currently riding a three-fight unbeaten streak.

The vacant WBA Fedelatin junior middleweight title will be up for grabs in a ten-round contest when former Cuban amateur star and rising star Erislandy Lara (13-0, 8 KOs) challenges for his first professional belt against Mississippi prospect Tim Conners (10-1, 7 KOs).

Florida knockout artist Keith Thurman (14-0, 13 KOs) has left an trail of destruction everywhere he’s fought as a professional thus far and on November 27, he’ll bring his dynamite-laden fists to Las Vegas to battle Guadalajara veteran Favio Medina (23-2-3, 8 KOs) in an eight round junior middleweight fight.

Rounding out the card will be two of Las Vegas’ finest, as middleweight Bastie Samir (5-0, 5 KOs) and junior welterweight Michael Finney (5-0, 5 KOs) look to thrill their hometown fans in four rounders against Billy Cunningham (4-7, 4 KOs) and Clayvonne Howard (2-4-1, 1 KO), respectively.

“Warriors: Marquez vs. Katsidis,” a 12 round Unified Lightweight World Championship bout, is presented by Golden Boy Promotions in association with Marquez Boxing Promotions, and sponsored by Tecate and DeWalt Tools. The event also features a 12 round Welterweight World Championship bout between Andre Berto and Freddy Hernandez presented by DiBella Entertainment and Gary Shaw Productions as well as a 10 round junior lightweight bout between Celestino Caballero and Jason Litzau presented by DiBella Entertainment and Square Ring Promotions. All three bouts will be televised live on HBO’s World Championship Boxing beginning at 9:45pm ET / 6:45pm PT.

Tickets for Warriors: Marquez vs. Katsidis, priced at $350, $250, $150, $100 and $50 are on sale now and available for purchase by phone with a major credit card, call Ticketmaster at (800) 745-3000. Tickets also are available for purchase at www.mgmgrand.com or www.ticketmaster.com.

Can Michael Katsidis beat Juan Manuel Marquez?

Because Mexico’s Juan Manuel Marquez has perched on the upper rung of the pound for pound list for years, most dismiss any notion that other than elite fighters the boxer known as “Dinamita” should have no problem with someone like Michael “The Great Katsidis.

Watch Marquez vs Katsidis Live Stream on November 27 at Las Vegas covered live by HBO PPV.

They would be wrong.

Elite fighters and their subsequent reputations are built on years of work and trial through fire.

Marquez did so for two decades and now enjoys the fruits of those labors. But some say it’s Katsidis turn.

Katsidis (27-2, 22 KOs) will try to topple WBO and WBA lightweight world champion Marquez (51-5-1, 37 KOs) from his perch of greatness on Saturday Nov. 27, at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. The Aussie who now lives in Las Vegas has been waiting for this moment. HBO will televise the altercation.

Few boxers have been so willing to prove their technical prowess like Marquez. In September 2009 he eagerly agreed to fight Floyd Mayweather despite a size, reach, speed and power disadvantage.

“It’s my opportunity to show what I can do,” said Marquez, who though soundly beaten by Mayweather emerged with his reputation intact. “I love to prove I can fight the best.”

Marquez, 37, may be the best technical boxer on the planet who strategically dissects opponents like a modern-day General Pancho Villa might have pierced enemy encampments 100 years ago during the Mexican Revolution.

“He’s so smart in the ring,” said Sugar Shane Mosley. “His defense is great.”

All those tools will be necessary against Katsidis a warrior in his own right who never saw a brawl he didn’t like. Who can forget his fight against Joel Casamayor in 2008 when he knocked Casamayor out of the ring then was knocked out himself in the 10th round.

Katsidis, 30, lost his brother Stathi Katsidis, who was found dead. Regardless, the prizefighter decided to continue his quest for the undisputed lightweight world championship.

“The fight will go on! I will do this for Stathi, my family and myself,” stated Katsidis whose brother Stathi was a champion horse race jockey in Australia.

Few are surprised.

Six months ago Katsidis traveled to London, England to face undefeated Kevin Mitchell and was expected to lose. Instead the prizefighter of Greek heritage proceeded to bully and dominate the British fighter in a mere three rounds. It was another impressive showing.

Katsidis now faces his toughest opponent ever in the wizard of boxing Marquez. But maybe the time is right for the Aussie. The Mexican boxer has become more compelled to entertain boxing fans with a more aggressive style that leaves him open for massive counters.

Marquez is clearly one of the best fighters pound for pound but against Joel Casamayor, Juan Diaz and Manny Pacquiao, the Mexican boxer has shown a willingness to dispense with a safety-first style. The fighter known as “Dinamita” has opened up offensively to look for knockouts rather than simply points victories. By opening up he is also leaving himself vulnerable to counter shots.

It’s something that Katsidis will be shooting for.

Other bouts

Also on the same Las Vegas card will be WBC welterweight titleholder Andre Berto (26-0, 20 KOs) defending against Mexico City’s Freddy Hernandez (29-1, 20 KOs) in a bout scheduled for 12 rounds.

Panama’s Celestino Caballero (34-2, 23 KOs), a tall former junior featherweight and featherweight world champion, was unable to entice Puerto Rico’s Juan Manuel Lopez or Cuba’s Yuri Gamboa to fight so he’s moving up to the junior lightweight division. Caballero faces Jason “The American Boy” Litzau (27-2, 21 KOs) who is eager to prove he deserves another world title shot.

Fights on television

Sat. HBO, 6:45 p.m., Juan Manuel Marquez (51-5-1) vs. Michael Katsidis (27-2).

Sat. Showtime, 9 p.m., Andre Ward (22-0) vs. Sakio Bika (28-4-2); Carl Froch (26-1) vs. Arthur Abraham (31-1).

Marquez vs Katsidis: Grand arrival in Las Vegas (Photos)

WBA and WBO lightweight champion Juan Manuel Marquez and interim titlist Michael Katsidis made their grand arrivals inside of the hotel lobby of MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Nevada heading into their clash this Saturday night.

Watch Marquez vs Katsidis Live Stream Online!

Marquez and Katsidis Grand arrival in Las Vegas Photos

Manny Pacquiao Documentary (Exclusive Preview)

For this week’s Friday documentary, the BBC’s Boxing Correspondent Mike Costello meets Manny Pacquiao – boxer, politician and man of the Filipino people.

Watch this exclusive preview of the documentary which will be broadcast on BBC World Service from Friday 26 of November, click on-air, click online and will also be available as a click download.

Fighting for the people

In the two-part series, Mike travels to the Philippines to spend time with this sporting legend as he trained for his fight with click Antonio Margarito – which he won.

Watch Manny Pacquiao Documentary Preview

He interviews Manny about his stellar boxing career and talks to people that know, love and work with Pacquiao.

He also discovers why his story of suffering poverty to becoming one of the world’s highest earning sportsmen is so compelling.

Mike also hears Manny’s first hand account of life growing up on the streets of General Santos in poverty and he explores the boxer’s political life; asking what impact a sportsman can have on his country’s future?

An All Out Production for BBC World Service – produced by Lyndon Saunders.