Juan Manuel ?Dinamita? Marquez (51-5-1, 37 KOs) returns to the ring on Sunday as he faces Michael ?The Great? Katsidis (27-2-0, 22 KOs) in a 12-round fight for the WBA and WBO lightweight titles. After losing to Floyd ?Money? Mayweather last year, Marquez bounced back nicely with an inspiring performance over Juan Diaz. The Mexican warrior has been itching for another shot at Pacquiao since he lost a painfully close split-decision to the Pacman in 2008. Marquez knows that a good performance over Katsidis will get him closer to a third fight against Pacquiao.
Katsidis on the other hand is coming of four straight victories since suffering back-to-back defeats at the hands of Joel Casamayor and Diaz. The Australian fighter who is of Greek descent has ascended the ranks in the boxing world with his crowd-pleasing all-action brand of fighting which is a joy to watch. He is now boxing?s premier blood and guts warrior, an honor that used to belong to the late Arturo Gatti. A win over the aging Mexican warrior will undoubtedly place Katsidis? name on the short list of Pacquiao?s possible opponents.
?Given the styles of both fighters, Marquez versus Katsidis has Fight of the Year written all over it," said Oscar de la Hoya, president of Golden Boy Promotions. "Marquez looked better than ever against Juan Diaz in his last fight and Katsidis is in top form coming off of a big knockout win over Kevin Mitchell; so boxing fans will be in for a treat.?
Andre Berto (26-0-0, 20 KOs), a Haitian-born welterweight, will be fighting in the undercard against Freddy Hernandez (29-1-0, 20 KOs). Berto has also been in discussions pertaining to Pacquiao?s next opponent and he will use this fight to catapult him to a possible match against the pound-for-pound king. Hernandez is a largely unknown entity but he has beaten a few good fighters and should be a tough challenge for Berto.
The undercard will also feature a fight between Celestino Caballero (34-2-0, 23 KOs) versus Jason Litzau (27-2-0, 21 KOS) and Nate ?Galaxxy Warrior? Campbell (33-6-1, 25 KOs) versus Walter Estrada (37-13-1, 25 KOs).
Warriors: Marquez vs Katsidis will be aired on November 28 at 1 pm, via satellite, on SOLARtv and Solar Sports, with a replay on Solar Sports at 7 pm.
Top photo: Ring Magazine, WBA and WBO Lightweight World Champion Juan Manuel Marquez hits the speed bag on November 22, 2010 in Los Angeles, California during a media workout in preparation for his November 27, 2010 title defense against WBO Interim Lightweight World Champion Michael Katsidis at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada which will be televised live on HBO?s World Championship Boxing.
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