Michael Katsidis

Born on August 15, 1980, Michael Katsidis is an Australian boxer with Greek descent and a former two-time interim lightweight champion. He debuted on the ring on Dec. 1, 2001, beating Danny Wilson to grab the Queensland State lightweight title. His next fight was against James Swan to bag the Australian lightweight title. He would follow this up with 19 more wins.

Katsidis would later face off in the ring with Graham Earl at the Wembley Area in London. The fast-paced match saw Katsidis knocking Earl down twice, and although the opponent was able to land a heavy right hand after three rounds, Katsidis increased his punches until the fight was stopped in the fifth round.

He made his first appearance in the US in a fight against Czar Amonsot. The fight ended after 12 rounds, after Amonsot suffered knock-downs in rounds two and ten. Katsidis did not walk away unharmed however. Both fighters were hospitalized at the Valley Hospital Medical Center, where Katsidis had multiple stitches.

His first loss was in the hands of Joel Casamayor, the former WBA super featherweight and WBC lightweight champion, the first time that Katsidis headlined an HBO World Championship Boxing broadcast. The fight was stopped in the ninth round after the referee determined that Katsidis would not be able to continue with the fight.