Dougie’s MASSIVE Monday Mail Bag By Doug Fischer (March 24, 2008) Photo © German Villasenor Send this page to friend Give us your feedback Read on for all the fan feedback on lightweight champ Joel Casamayor’s stunning KO of Michael Katsidis that you can handle in this week’s MMMB. Enjoy! OOOOOOOOH S__T!!!!!!!!!!!! What's up dude? This weekend had several “Oooohh S__t” moments. First the highly touted Andy Lee gets his cap pelt on Friday and then Andrade and Stieglitz trade shots like stocks on Wall Street on Saturday. But that stuff paled in comparison to what transpired with Casa and the Kat. Most people wrote Joel off in this one but his old school craftiness mixed with Micheal's recklessness combined to give us a pretty good scrap. My lady had just asked me a question when I stopped and said, "Ooooohh S__t"! I hope Casamayor fights Campbell because we all know that Barrera, Morales and Pacman won't go near either guy. Katsidis and Juan Diaz should have their comeback fights against each other. That would still make for a good scrap. Holla Back! – Fleetwood the Pimp “Oh s__t!” were the exact words that shot out of my potty mouth while watching Katsidis go down twice in the first round, when Casamayor got twisted halfway around by a good shot in the sixth and then dumped out of the ring, and when the Aussie ran smack right into the Cuban’s power left in the 10th round. When you have four “oh s__t!” moments in one fight, you must be watching a hell of a scrap. I agree that Pacquiao, Barrera and Morales will stay clear of Casamayor. I think Casamayor-Campbell II can be made if enough money can be put up for the cause. I think the fight is worth HBO digging a little deeper than they normally do for lightweight bouts because it would be for the undisputed 135-pound crown, it has a story (the age of the two badasses and the first bout, which was televised on HBO), and it might turn out to be a good fight. HBO televised Diaz-Freitas, Diaz-Diaz, Diaz-Campbell and Casamayor-Katsidis; they might as well keep the 135-pound ball rollin’. If Diaz and Katsidis have their comeback fight vs. each other that scrap might be the last time we see either young man in his prime. It might be a good idea for both bulls to get an easy win or two in order to allow them to recover physically and for their eventual showdown to build up a little bit. ANOTHER GREAT FIGHT NIGHT Dougie, Yet another excellent weekend of boxing. Some jackass in some industry magazine (Fortune, Portfolio, etc) was mouthing off about how MMA will supplant boxing. I doubt it. Experts and talking heads have been predicting the demise of this great sport for over 100 years. But...whatever. I challenge anyone, from any sport, to present a season (even two seasons) or event to match the past 12-18 months of boxing. The New York Giants win over the Patriots notwithstanding, it cannot be done. Quite frankly, Andy Lee going out on his shield may have been more exciting than the Superbowl (and I didn’t have to deal with the stupid commercials). Cassamayor and Katsidis put on an excellent show. I guess the old man still has something left in the tank. I hope Cassamayor and Campbell can fight this year. Thanks. – oo “Andy Lee going out on his shield may have been more exciting than the Superbowl.” I wouldn’t know. I didn’t watch the Super Bowl. As far as professional sports are concerned, I’m 100% boxing. I don’t think anything comes close to the action, excitement and drama that boxing produces when it’s at its best. JOEL CASAMYAOR Hey Doug, I can't say I was ever a fan of Casamayor. I definitely had respect for him before but after this fight I say give him a big easy payday. He deserves it. This guy truly takes on all comers. Would Mayweather ever dream of taking on a "no-name" like Katsidis at that advanced stage of his career? This fight could be looked at as a "poor man's" Mayweather-Hatton with the same outcome but I don't think it was the same. Do you think Katsidis is more effective in his aggression than Hatton? I know Hatton does a lot of nuanced moving and shuffling but for some reason I think Katsidis is more effective with landing punches and putting the "hurt" on his opponents. I would call Katsidis a brawler and Hatton a mauler. Anyway, big props to Casamayor for his willingness to take on anyone. I think Pacquiao-Katsidis is one of the best fights possible that can be made. But I wouldn't mind seeing a business transaction with Casamayor netting $5M for an easy fight. (Being from Cuba he's probably at least 40 years old! He deserves an easy one to help feed those 9 mouths!) Keep up the great work. – John, Chicago Love him or hate him, you have to give Casamayor a lot of props for his willingness to face not only his fellow champions at 130 and 135 pounds (like Freitas, Corrales, and Castillo) but hungry and dangerous up-and-comers like Campbell (23-0 at the time they fought), Kid Diamond (20-0 at the time), Jose Armando Santa Cruz, and Katsidis (who was 23-0). Katsidis was the EIGHTH unbeaten fighter Casamayor has faced in a career that I now have to consider hall-of-fame worthy. I definitely think Katsidis is more effective with his aggression than Hatton is against world-class opposition. The Aussie throws cleaner, straighter and more-accurate power punches than the Mad Hatter, and he doesn’t go overboard with the grappling and roughhouse stuff on the inside. MICHAEL KATSIDIS Doug, I think he made a big mistake underestimating the old man. He must have been surprised by Casamayor's quickness in that opening round. But the kid impressed me by getting back up, making an adjustment (keeping the right hand up) and proceeded to take over the fight. I really liked that he went to the body. He had the old man reeling and I thought he was going to overwhelm him. The only problem I saw was the fact that Katsidis seemed to go away from the body after he had knocked Casamayor through the ropes. He got careless. I still had him winning rounds from just landing the harder punches. I couldn’t really give Casa a round after the second because he just held way too much. I dont score things like that. And then, just like that, the kid gets completely reckless and gets caught perfectly on the chin as he was coming in. You have got to love Katsidis's tenacity. But, he needs to use "educated" pressure, which means jabbing your way in, not leaping in with your shots, and cutting the ring off, not just following. But it’s amazing that he got someone as boring as Casa to actually have to plant his feet and fight. I think the old man got lucky though. And since Casamayor is going to duck Campbell and call out retired fighters, Katsidis-Campbell would be the fight to make. Quick note: Do you think Katsidis has a weak chin? I think it’s decent to pretty good, but not good enough to walk into a shot on the chin and be ok. In other words, he isn’t Librado Andrade. Michael needs to watch Vazquez at work. He needs to see another guy that puts pressure like him, but does it through actually boxing. Plus I think their chins are comparable. It just surprised me that Casa could hurt him if he wasn’t careful. Casa wasn’t a puncher at 130. I guess the old man can get some respect if he plants his feet. What are your thoughts? Enjoy reading your analysis as always Doug. Take Care. – Mauro Casamayor has always been a decent-to-good puncher when he plants his feet, and I think Katsidis has a decent-to-good beard, he simply lunged into a power shot that landed flush. That scenario is going to scramble the neurons of most fighters, even those who are known for their chins. Even Andrade got put down by Yusaf Mack. Nobody is invincible in that ring. I don’t think Katsidis underestimated the “old man” at all. He’s not that type of fighter. I just think he got a little overzealous in his pursuit of the boxing master, who got back on his bicycle after the sixth round. The way I look at it, Casamayor figured out that he couldn’t win the inside fight and used those 36-year-old legs to create some distance where he could eventually nail the young man coming in (which he did). The two knockdowns in the first round were less of a result of Casamayor’s power and more of a result of his southpaw stance and excellent timing catching Katsidis cold. I agree that Katsidis had some trouble cutting off the ring, but I won’t chastise him for not “jabbing his way in”. That’s easier said than done when facing a southpaw who is as experienced and mobile as Casamayor is. Campbell-Katsidis? Where do I buy tickets. TINY RING Dougie, Damn, when I saw the tiny ring at Morongo, I thought Casamayor was DEAD!! That was one hell of a small ring to my eyes. I felt like I was watching a fight at a county fair. – ThrowROCKS Well, it did take place outdoors in a tent. And hey, I think it helped force more exchanges between the lightweights. MIRROR IMAGES Dougie Fresh, Good weekend of boxing starting Friday night with Andy Lee. I was definitely interested in seeing him fight, especially since the last time I saw him he KOTF some dude viciously. After the first round I was waiting for the hammer the drop. Never came...and suddenly this fight turned into Brewster-Klitschko all over again. It was eerie seeing Lee throwing bombs looking punched out and Vera walking through bombs. Atlas said something about Lee that was the same with Klitschko...when hurt the guy had no idea how to box out or HOLD. Is it me or does Andrade remind you of the 168-pound Margarito. Then Joel turned back the clock to old boxing and punch and just when you thought he was on the brink BAM lights out close the door behind your please. As much as Joel showed the champion he is…Katsidis got beat by two people...JC and his own overconfidence. BTW Are you headed to the Cotto fight in A.C. if so let me know round on me. – Dominic This is why they fight the fights, dude. I thought Brian Vera was made to order for Andy Lee. In fact, I had to go somewhere at 8 p.m. Friday night, and after watching the first two rounds I figured “Why be late? I know what’s going to happen…” and I left the house in-between the second and third rounds. When I got home later that evening and checked the website I had one of Fleetwood’s “Oh s__t!” moments. I couldn’t believe Lee got stopped. I stayed up for ESPN2’s early morning rebroadcast (12-2 a.m.) and saw a tall and talented fighter not using his height and reach as well as he could have (and as well as I’ve seen him in the past). To my admittedly sleepy eyes, the Irish lad was trying to be too “cute” in there by allowing Vera to walk in and then trying to shoulder roll and black and counter like an old pro. I was surprised how often Vera, who deserves credit for his determination, was able to nail Lee when only lobbing one shot after the other. Having said that, I thought the Lee stoppage was premature. If the young man had been pressed against the ropes with his hands down or if he wasn’t firing back I would not have had any problem with the stoppage but to my eyes (and once again I admit they were sleepy), while Lee was getting repeatedly tagged with hard shots, the young man was not seriously hurt. As for Andrade, yep, he’s definitely in the Cave Man Crew along with Tony Margarito and Danny Ponce DeLeon. Short on skill and technique; long on toughness and heavy hands. I don’t think Katsidis was overconfident. He’s not that kind of person. He views all fighters he faces as equal threats and trains 100% every time he steps into the ring. I just think he was fighting his fight and got a little too aggressive trying to catch the crafty old vet. I’ll be too busy changing diapers to make my way out to AC April 12th, but be sure to say ‘whut up’ to the K-Hammer, Major Tom Gerbasi and Rick Reeno for me if you see them in press row. NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN Shame on us for thinking Casa wouldn’t pull it off. Not just pull it off Doug, but “Give us a show”. Amazing. Who would have thought ? Obviously very few outside of Casa’s camp. Considering Mr. Casamayor (I love his last name, like 2 in 1) hasn’t been in a good show since the 1st Corrales fight (may he RIP). I didn’t think the old hound had it in him, but overall it was a very good fight. Casa looked pretty good somewhat, until he got hit by Katsidis a few times, he was shook up but handled himself very well. Thanks HBO for a very good free show. (Keep it up) – Jay Casamayor’s old trainer, Joe Goossen, certainly gave Casamayor a good shot to win as did most of the good folks at the Wild Card gym who saw how much trouble Katsidis had with southpaws (don’t you read the Southern California Notebook? Shame on you if you don’t). I was on the fence in regard to a clear favorite for this matchup all the way until the week of the fight. I went with the youth, physical strength and will power of Katsidis, and it looked like all of us “know-it-alls” called it correct by the middle rounds, especially in the sixth. I don’t care much about being right or wrong about a pre-fight pick as long as the fight is good, and this one was – as you put it – “a show”. But it takes two to tango and Katsidis forced most of the action, so let’s give him a little credit for the excitement the bout generated. REVENGE OF THE TURD Hey Doug, UGH!! As great a fight as Katsidis-Casamyor was, I'm hugely disappointed that Joel "The turd that will never flush" Casamayor pulled it out. Casamayor is one of those few fighters I simply can not stand (along with PBF, Riddick Bowe, John Ruiz, Zab Judah and Diego Corrales), though I do appreciate the fact that he is a great fighter and he's more exciting than people have given him credit for. I just hate his attitude and I root for him to get his block knocked off whenever I see him. Anyways, it was still a great fight but I think the difference came not only from Casa's experience and his ability to get on his bike after the sixth round, but from Katsidis abandoning the excellent bodywork that allowed him to get back into the fight after knocking Joel through the ropes. Katsidis was killing him to the body and Joel didn't like it one bit. Unfortunately, Michael went back to one punch at a time and headhunting after that and let the champ back into the contest eventually pulling a Ricky Hatton and walking into a punch. Excellent fight though. As far as Casamayor getting any big money he needs to wake up. No big names are going to bother with him. He has yet another interim belt and The RING belt, but neither of them are enough to coax an A-lister like Pac Man into the ring. The RING belt is nice for the fans, but kind of useless for the fighter. Ask Winky Wright, Paulie Ayala or Rosendo Alverez how much it helped their stature. The only fight that matters at 135 is the rematch with Nate Campbell. I thought the first fight was a draw and I know Campbell wants another crack at Joel. Campbell is also a completely different style than Katsidis, a slick boxer in his own right who I think can crack as hard as Katsidis with a wealth of experience on his side too. I think Nate's the far fresher fighter as well. Between his three fights with Corrales, his tough bouts with Campbell, Kid Diamond, Santa Cruz and Katsidis, respectively, it's only a matter of time ‘til it all catches up with Casa. Here's to hoping Campbell-Casamayor 2 gets made by September. Thanks Doug. (PS: Sorry about last week. I had to work mandatory overtime Friday and Saturday Night at Levi's so that's why I missed you and K-9 at Mandalay Bay. I hate this job) – Andrew Workman, Las Vegas, NV Don’t sweat it, Drew. We’ll be back in Sin City, and the Mandalay Bay’s sports book, for Mosley-Judah (May 31st). As for the “turd”, it’s obvious by the trouble he had with both Santa Cruz and Katsidis, that his days are numbered. However, until the day comes when he’s finally flushed, we should give the tough nut his due respect. THREE CONSECUTIVE 'FOTY' CANDIDATES Dougie - March 1, March 15, March 22... all fight of the year candidates. And boxing is supposed to be dead? Please. – John, San Diego This was a hell of a month, one of the best since I started covering the sport 10 years ago. After a two-week “re-loading” period, we should get another strong month with April (Cintron-Margarito II, Dawson-Johnson, Woods-Tarver, Hopkins-Calzaghe, Bell-Adamek, and some very interesting matchups on Friday Night Fights, Solo Boxeo and ShoBox). BAD STOPPAGES Nothing bothers me more than boxers being seriously hurt or killed, believe you me. But in the name of safety I am seeing a lot of very questionable stoppages at the entirely wrong point in the fight. I truly believe that instead of complaining about the decision Rafael Marquez should have thanked his lucky stars that Pat Russell let that fight continue because 99% of refs would have called it immediately. Unfortunately for Michael Katsidis and Andy Lee the refs in their fights lost sight of the situation. For Katsidis, the ref watched him get dropped twice in the first round and get cut and beat up for the rest of the early rounds. Then the ref watched him rally and control the remainder of the fight until he walked into that huge Casamayor left, BUT HE GOT UP. And then he ran towards Casamayor, eager to try and get his legs back, but a flurry of ineffectual shots from Casamayor were enough for the ref to stop it. Katsidis gave everything he had in that fight and it certainly looked like he had more to give, but in today’s game stumbling at all, even a little bit, will prompt refs to stop fights way prematurely. It was a terrible stoppage, the sign of an inexperienced ref panicking and depriving a true warrior the chance to come back and win the fight of his life. And while I reiterate that a fighters health is the number one priority, we should remember that if the health of the fighter were the end all be all then boxing would be illegal. Fighters get beat up and brain damaged every time they step in the ring. They get cut and bruised and their lives are shortened every time they fight. The ref should understand this and give them the chance to make this ultimate sacrifice worthwhile. Max Kellerman kept comparing Katsidis to Arturo Gatti, but if Gatti had refs like the one Katsidis had tonight then he never would have become the fighter he became and made the money he made. He might have been a little less damaged, but how much? He still took a million punches, just like Katsidis did. Stopping the fight will never erase the punches he took for the whole bout. All you can do is stop the fight when the fighter is too hurt to defend himself. And don't render their sacrifice meaningless. – Sweet S. Kisses I agree that the Andy Lee stoppage was premature, but I had no complaint with referee Jon Schorle calling a halt to the Katsidis fight. Schorle gave Katsidis an opportunity to prove that he was able to continue and defend himself and it was obvious to his veteran eyes that the young man had no legs to stand on. He did the right thing. He could have waved it off after Katsidis got up and stumbled forward, but he gave the warrior a chance to either try to survive (by holding on) or try to mount an offense (which, of course, is what Michael opted for) and it was clear to me that all Katsidis could do is lunge forward and present his head as an open target for Casamayor. Had the knockdown occurred in the final seconds of the round maybe Schorle would have let Katsidis try to last to the bell, but the kid got caught cold in the opening seconds of the round and he was not only hurt but obviously scrambled. He was a sitting duck for the accurate punches of a veteran champion. The knockdowns in the first round were NOTHING like the knockdown at the start of the 10th. Schorle did the right thing as far as I’m concerned and I was cheering Katsidis on so loudly during those thrilling middle rounds that my wife was compelled to root for Casamayor. LIBRADO ANDRADE Hey Dougie, I thought Andrade did real well. His defense is improved, he was picking off a lot of punches with his gloves and even doing a little counterpunching. Do you think Boxing After Dark would pick up his fight with Bute? – Stephen, Montreal They should. But if they don’t, hopefully Showtime or ESPN2 would be willing to show it here in the States. I thought Andrade looked a little bit sharper than usual, too, so I gotta give Howard Grant his props. GRUMPY OLD MEN So the best lightweights in the world are a 36 year old grandfather and a 36 year old Cuban, which means he actually might be 50. – Che Well, two of the top five are grumpy old farts who refuse to retire without a fight and obviously have enough left to turn back the challenges of undefeated young studs. However, Jose Armando Santa Cruz, who should not be swept under the rug by the fans or the media, has got to be considered a player in the division and he’s only 27. David Diaz is a well-preserved 31, the PacMan is 29, and rising UK star Amir Khan is only 21. DE LA HOYA-PACQUIAO? Hey, Dougie, how are you? That left hook from Casamayor reminded me of Mayweathers perfect counter against Hatton. Man, what a monster hook that was! I also want to ask your opinion on Pacquiao vs De La Hoya. It is a rip off for the boxing fans, in my opinion. It is quite obvious this fight will bring a huge sum of money to the boxers and their promoters, but what is the point? De La Hoya is fighting such a small guy that this fight should be labelled as "David vs Goliath (and I'm sure everybody knows who is David here)". Shame on De La Hoya if he indeed decides to go ahead with it. There can only be one motivation behind this fight and that is money (or greed, to be more exact). I think this is such a disgrace for boxing that guys of such a big size difference have to fight. It will be an easy 1st Rd KO for De La Hoya, but both fighters will be happy because they will collect 8 figure sum. In the end, boxing fans will be the one who paid all those money and they will feel cheated. – J-Charlie I definitely thought that Katsidis’s stoppage was shades of the climax to Mayweather-Hatton. As for any talk of De La Hoya-Pacquiao, I think it is a complete waste of time to discus. If Pacquiao beats David Diaz in late June, he should look for a third match with JM Marquez or he should target a top 135-pounder like Casamayor or Campbell. After going life and death with a career featherweight who just stepped up to 130 pounds (JMM), the PacMan should NOT be challenging a guy who has campaigned at 154 and 160 pounds since 2001, and held the legit junior middleweight title from late ‘02 to late ’03. It’s just silly. Why don’t we discuss the possibility of Andre Berto fighting the winner of Hopkins-Calzaghe while we’re at it? Hey, bantamweight prospect Abner Mares looked pretty good knocking out Diosdado Gabi last Saturday; maybe he should challenge Joel Casamayor next. Come on folks, stop it! HIGH STAKES Hey Dougie, nice article on Mosely/Judah nice to see you guys still cover zab lol, jk man. This has fight of the yr written all over it hopefully kimbo wont hurt the numbers too much this is a fight that can convert some MMA fans to boxing fans. "High Stakes" couldnt have thought of a better name for this fight. both fighters badly need this win. mosley has speed and a granite chin but he's 36 yr's old and obviously isnt the fighter he use to be. Zab still has the speed and punch to catch "Sugar". Well whats your early prediction on this one? hopefully zab can win and your boy margs will take care of business so they can meet up down the road to set up the "fischer pony tail" bet match down the road lol – Georgie I gotta go with the West Coast fighter – and the former champ with the more proven chin and heart – which is Sugar Shane, but I must admit that I’m a little worried about him. Judah will definitely hit him harder than any other welterweight has. Still, my early pick is Mosley. (Hey, this might be the year of the 36-year-old fighter.) If both Margarito and Judah win their next fight, I’ll definitely bang the drums for that showdown, and once again I’ll go with the proven chin and heart of the West Coast warrior. My pony tail ain’t goin’ nowhere! Discuss this Topic - Go to the forums For Questions or Comments E-Mail Doug Fischer at dougie@maxboxing.com