Juan Manuel Marquez stopped Michael Katsidis at 2:09 of the ninth in a fight-of-the-year candidate to retain his WBA and WBO Lightweight titles. Referee Kenny Bayless stopped the contest with Katsidis on his feet though the Australian challenger was clearly in trouble. “It was one of those things where I got caught at the end of the fight”, explained Katsidis. “He was stronger than me and it ended up getting stopped.”

Marquez’ left hand was a thing of beauty in the first. Marquez (52-5-1) landed both the left jab and left hook at will. Katsidis (27-3) appeared cautious if not tentative. Both of Marquez’ hands were things of beauty in the second. Katsidis surged forward to smother Marquez but found his face on the end of Marquez’ jab or his ribs on the receiving end of Marquez’ hook. All the pretty work Marquez did in the first and second was nearly for not when Katsidis landed a left hook that put Marquez on the seat of his pants in the third. When Marquez rose, Katsidis pursued furiously. The warriors traded left hooks for the balance of a brutal round.

“I was surprised by his left hand,” said Marquez of the knockdown. “I didn’t protect myself and I got caught.” In the fourth Marquez picked up where he left off in the third. Circling to his left Marquez landed the left hook. Giving ground, Marquez landed the left jab. Inside, Marquez raked Katsidis with three and four punch combinations. The fifth and sixth were mirror images of the fourth, though Katsidis fared better in the sixth. Applying unceasing pressure, Katsidis walked Marquez down and fired chopping right hands. When Katsidis managed to trap Marquez against the ropes, Katsidis fired a damaging left hook. Though Katsidis received more than he gave, it was apparent his hook was more damaging.

In the seventh Marquez hit Katsidis with back-to-back right hands with little to no effect. Katsidis shrugged off the blows and continued his pursuit. By this time both men were breaking down; the only question is who would break down first. Katsidis smothered Marquez in the eighth and banged away with both hands. Marquez had his moments but they were few and far between. A resurgent Marquez started the ninth with an 8-10 punch sequence that put Katsidis on his heels.

When it was apparent Katsidis was hurt Marquez went on the attack. Marquez’ pursuit of Katsidis around the ring convinced referee Kenny Bayless to call a halt to the bout. The decision was wildly unpopular with the MGM Grand Gardena Arena crowd. “This was definitely fight-of-the-year”, said Marquez. “There was non-stop action from the opening round.”
 

Welterweight champion Andre Berto wasted little time with challenger Freddy Hernandez, dispatching him in 2:07 of the opening round. Berto (27-0) fired an errant left off the ropes but followed it with a right that found the mark. Hernandez (29-2) crumbled onto the canvas but managed to get to his feet.

Referee Russell Mora looked Hernandez over and decided he was unfit to continue. The victory was Berto’s fifth defense of the WBC belt. “I was just throwing a jab,” explained Berto. “I jabbed to the stomach and came over with the right. His left had been dropping.”
 

Jason Litzau defeated former super bantamweight champion Celestino Caballero by split decision over ten lightweight rounds. After a slow start, a brief tussle broke out moments before the bell ending the second round. Things got chippy in the third forcing referee Joe Cortez to stop the contest to warn the combatants. When the bout resumed the action intensified. Both men landed overhand rights and both fought to the bell. In the fourth Caballero jabbed to the body and provided a target for Litzau’s right.

Litzau (28-2) obliged but was badly outgunned in the round. Caballero (34-3) landed multiple right hands on the button. Litzau’s left hand was his weapon of choice in the fifth. He landed the left flush on more than one occasion. Caballero appeared hurt or in need of a blow in the sixth. Momentum teetered back and forth in a well fought seventh round. The long right hand of Caballero was the signature punch of the eighth.

Caballero fired both hands in the ninth before switching to the southpaw stance late in the round. Litzau pushed the action in a close tenth. Total punches landed favored Caballero 197 to 130, but the scorecards tallied 96-94, 97-93 and 94-96 for Litzau. Not surprisingly Caballero disagreed with two of the judges. “He was using illegal punches and running the whole fight”, said Caballero through an interpreter.


Off Air Action
 

Former lightweight champion Nate Campbell (33-7-1) lost an eight round bout by split decision to journeyman Walter Estrada (38-13-1). Two judges scored the bout 77-74 for Estrada while the third had it 76-75 for Campbell.

Erislandy Lara (14-0) stopped Tim Connors (10-2) at 1:38 of the first to win the vacant WBA Fedelatin Jr. Middleweight title.

Junior middleweight Keith Thurman (15-0) defeated Favio Medina (23-3-3) by TKO at 2:34 of the 4th round.

Bastie Samir (7-0) remained undefeated with a TKO victory over fellow middleweight Billy Cunningham (4-8) at 1:56 of the 2nd.

Unbeaten Michael Finney (6-0) TKO’d Clayvonnne Howard (2-5-1) at 1:26 of the 2nd to earn his 6th victory.