Joel Casamayor is the Undisputed Lighweight king of the world and he defends his title tonight against purple hearted undefeated #6 contender Australian Michael Katsidis on HBO tonight night at 10:15 ET. If Casamayor wants to keep his financially rewarding RING title belt he will need to bring his A game against the heavy-handed Katsidis, 23-0 (20). BodogLife.com has Michael Katsidis as a -225 boxing betting favorite in Joel Casamayor vs Michael Katsidis.

The Cuban Casamayor, 35-3-1 (21) recently held on to his belt by a thread with a dubious 12-round unanimous decision win against the busy and determined #4 contender Jose Armando Cruz this past November. Cruz outworked and oufought Casamayor but got robbed by split-decision on the cards.  The OVER\UNDER is at 10.5 rounds at  BodogLife.com with the OVER at -170 for Joel Casamayor vs Michael Katsidis.

Michael Katsidis last defeated an iron willed top-20 ranked Filipino named Czar Amonsot by unanimous decison in a bloody battle on HBO last July in a canidate for fight of the year. Both Katsidis and Amomsot had visits to the emergency room after their blood-filled war due to the the give-an-take bombs that left them both damaged. This is make or break fight for the aging Casamayor. For the exciting Katsidis it is an opportunity to fill the void left by Arturo Gatti as the new blood and guts warrior for HBO to promote.

Is Casamayor washed up? Can Katsdisis use his youth and energy to his advantage? How good is Katsidis having never faced a fighter of Casamayor's quality? Will Casamayor bust up Katsidis at his own roughhouse game and win on cuts? Can Katsidis use his superior speed and power to win by stoppage? Did Casamayor set aside the partying and train for this fight with 100% focus?

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