Bookies and pundits alike couldn’t separate Michael Katsidis and Graham Earl going into this fight.
Katsidis was Australia’s great hope and had been walking through everyone he faced. Many predicted it was only a matter of time before the Australian banger won a world title, but Graham Earl was always going to prove to be a tough test for him.
While Earl had been defeated once, the real Graham Earl didn’t turn up that night, and he had mixed in good competition since that loss. Questions had been raised about his punch resistance in the run up to this fight, but Earl proved all the doubters wrong by showing a ton of heart.
How Earl vs. Katsidis Went
Round 1 was pretty horrific for the Luton man. Earl stood and traded with Katsidis on the inside for the majority of the round, which resulted in him being put down twice. Both were heavy knockdowns and Katsidis was turning his punches over beautifully. Earl was already on rubber legs.
His corner let him come out for round 2 though, only for him to be put down by a massive hook. Earl bravely got up though and continued fighting. Recognising he was getting hurt, his corner threw the towel in, but the referee picked the towel up and threw it out of the ring. This was the right decision.
Just seconds later, Earl hit Katsidis with a right cross which put the Australian down. While he literally only touched down, when he got up, his legs were also rubbery, opening this fight right up.
Round three was closely fought, but Katsidis probably took it with ring control. Both landed good shots, but Katsidis was deducted a point for hitting low.
How Earl got through the fourth is an absolute mystery. For the entirety of the second half of the round, he was pinned up against the ropes taking an enormous amount of powerful punches from Katsidis. He kept throwing back though, and he amazingly remained in the fight. Unfortunately for Earl though, he had a cut over his eye, and the referee told his corner after this round that he could only go out for one more round.
Earl went out and won the next round, as Katsidis seemed exhausted, but the power of the Australian was still there and it was evident he could still hurt Earl.
The Corner Of Earl Act
After the fifth, the corner of Earl were not willing to let the fight continue, and arguably rightly so. Earl was taking a lot of punishment, and while the referee had changed his mind and was willing to let the fight go on, the corner acted and pulled Earl out.
While Earl was evidently disconsolate, Katsidis didn’t even look that happy. He knew he had just been in a war, and he had wounds to show it just like his opponent. One thing is for sure, both men gave their all in this fight, and Katsidis was a very deserving winner at the end of the day.
How To Watch This Fight
This review was this weeks’ “Classic Fight of the Week” column. Please visit my profile page for details of how to watch this, or any of the previous “Classic Fights of the Week”.
