By Chris Kelly: In recent times dubbing a fighter “Gatekeeper” was seen as half an insult. Gatekeepers of recent times generally fell into two categories: ex-champs on the decline and feather-fisted pressure fighters with concrete chins. For the most part taking the term as insult was warranted.
But if ever a fighter could wear the appellation with pride its Australian warrior Michael Katsidis. His scheduled fight later in the year with rising star Robert “the Ghost” Guerrero is a bright light in an otherwise dark boxing calendar.
Future stars like Guerrero need an opponent the quality of Katsidis. One that won’t be bluffed by hype or out hustled with fancy combinations. Katsidis comes to fight, and to fight him is the only way you’ll win. You have to be good to beat him. Beat him and it’s a win you’ve earned.
Just look at his losses – a unified champ, a Cuban maestro, and an all time great. Every fight, whether a win or a loss is a thrill a minute, but those of you who think dubbing him Gatekeeper is selling him short are denying two facts: 1) its clear by his 3 losses that Kat doesn’t have what it takes to beat the elite; and 2) for our sport to thrive the roll of Gatekeeper is every bit as important as that of champion
As our sport rapidly loses traction in its market share race with Mixed Martial Arts the Gatekeeper of today could well be the salvation of boxing. For boxing to maintain its place as the number one combat sport we need great fights with great fighters – pure and simple.
Promoters who have steered their stars to the easiest title for the smallest risk cruel their fighter as much as damage the sport; take Devon Alexander for instance.
Alexander cruised to the near upper echelons without ever striking a live Gatekeeper. A gift decision win and Technical Decision loss later and most of us have turned on him. Why? Because he never earned what he had. His previous victories bestowed upon him zero fan good will.
Andre Berto risks heading in the same direction.
Compare them to someone like Miguel Cotto, who in his 18th & 19th fights respectively fought Vic Sosa (then 37-3) and Lovemore N’dou (38-6), both Gatekeepers in the Katsidis mould. As a result of early victories such as these, his loss to Margarito was irrelevant – he was a champion. We’d seen him consistently challenged by quality opposition for so long that losing one title fight didn’t diminish his stocks at all.
Kostya Tszyu was the same. In his 11th fight he fought Hector Lopez in Lopez’s own back yard. After 10 brutal rounds Tszyu won a close decision and with that victory a new star was born.
Side Note: in trainer Johnny Lewis’ autobiography he recalls being in the hotel lobby post fight morning. Kostya was too sore to get out of bed let alone fly back to Australia, and as Lewis changed the flight and accommodation details he spied Lopez farewelling the beautiful flight attendant he had clearly entertained all evening.
Now that’s a Gatekeeper!
In order to gauge the state of the modern Gatekeeper and in doing so the state of boxing itself I ask ESB readers to try and name one Katsidis like Gatekeeper for each of the 13 weight classes from Bantam up to Heavyweight – of course their existence is unimportant if the young bloods fail to rise to the challenge
And speaking of challenges – all the best to Robert the Ghost. Against Katsidis the Great you’re going to need your best, and then some.