There was growing confusion today about who would next face Amir Khan for the WBA light-welterweight title with Michael Katisdis denying reports that neogiations for a match between the two had collapsed.
After Khan defeated Paulie Malignaggi in his North American debut, he talked about facing mandatory challenger Marcos Maidana before he would begin fasting for Ramadam on August 11. With Maidana having recently pulled out of a fight with Tim Bradley due to a back injury, Michael Katsidis was widely touted as a possible alternative given his affiliation to Golden Boy and his current high profile in Britain after an eye catching victory over Kevin Mitchell.
So yesterday’s reports in papers such as the Daily Mail came as something of a surprise. While nobody would be shocked to discover that Maidana had not recovered in time to face Khan in London’s O2 Arena on July 31st nobody would have predicted the identity of his replacement. Instead of the popular Michael Katsidis the Daily Mail claimed that Khan would next defend his world title against the 38 year old former world champion Joel Casamayor. The Sun went further reporting that the fight had originally been offered to Michael Katsidis but he had turned it down. It also reported that Casamayor’s manager had confirmed the fight, with the former world champion promising to “knock out Amir Khan – dead”
Such reports angered Michael Katisidis, who denied that he had ever turned down a fight with Khan. Speaking with Sporting Greece his manager Brendon Smith said that ‘Michael Katsidis is avaiable’ and that while they had yet to recieve an offer to fight Khan they had been in discussions with Golden Boy CEO Richard Schaeffer who ‘would love to put this fight on’. Smith put the blame for the fight not happening squarely on the Khan camp, saying that “I don’t believe a fight can be made because Michael is too much of a risk for Amir Khan’. Smith also claimed that Katsidis had run into similar problems with another British boxer with the promoters of European Lightweight Champion John Murray having repeatedly raised the possibility of fighting the Australian without ever sealing the deal.
Indeed Smith had a blunt message for British fans about his recent experience of trying to make a match for Katisidis with either fighter saying that “England your two great fighters have temporarily lost their balls and unless they find them quickly, you won’t be seeing Michael Katsidis in the opposite corner and that is the truth”. As somebody who would love to see Katsidis back on UK soil as soon as possible, I for one hope that either Khan or Murray are able to make a deal to fight the always entertaining WBO Interim Lightweight Champion.
