Katsidis to rematch Earl

Dan Rafael of espn.com is reporting that all action star Michael Katsidis will take on Graham Earl in a rematch of one of the most brutal bout of the last five years.

The fight will take place in August in Katsidis homeland of Australia.

When they fought in 2007, Katsidis stopped Earl in five rounds to claim an interim Lightweight title in about that was non stop action from the onset.

“Earl has been chasing this since we walked out of the ring four years ago,” Brendon Smith, Katsidis’ manager and trainer, said. “He has shown up at press conferences and even tried to enter our training camp in Thailand in the lead-up to the Juan Manuel Marquez title fight to issue a challenge. We did promise him the rematch, and now his wish has been granted. What an amazing fight it will be for Australia.”

Said Katsidis: “Graham is one tough man. It will definitely be a war and I love a war. When we met in ‘07, we exchanged a lot of punches, he went down, I went down. It will be on again. From the day we embraced each other and agreed for a rematch, he has chased me and now I will honor my commitment to Graham Earl, and give him the rematch he has been seeking.”

“Ever since our last fight together I was promised a rematch and the chance to get my revenge,” Earl said.

“Obviously, I understand that there were obligations from that fight and he had the opportunities to move on. He got the win that night. He put me down a few times, then I put him down. We were having a war in the fourth and fifth (rounds) and I believe I won those two rounds, and the fight was in the balance at that stage. If the fight had continued I believe I would have won.

“Last time it was in my own backyard, this time it looks like it may be in his. I love the challenge and will do the job properly and get the result. … Most fights these days are not great at all. People are paying good money and not getting the fights they deserve. (The rematch) will give fans the kind of fight they want and deserve.”