Dan Rafael is reporting that Juan Manuel Marquez will stay at lightweight and defend his title against number 1 contender Michael Katsidis.

Marquez will stay at 135 pounds for a possible fall fight with Michael Katsidis rather than move up to junior welterweight to attempt to become the first Mexican to win titles in four weight classes, Golden Boy CEO Richard Schaefer told ESPN.com on Wednesday after meeting with Marquez in Mexico City.

This is the right move for Marquez at this stage in his career. He showed against Juan Diaz that he still has a lot to offer at 135, but I think he’s probably reached his limit. I imagine Junior welterweight is just beyond him at this point, and a fight with the bigger, younger, and faster Amir Khan would probably be ill advised for the 37 year old.

They are now targeting November 27th as a potential date for the Marquez / Katsidas clash. It’s a fantastic match up between the two top guys in the division. Katsidas looked tremendous in his dispatching of Kevin Mitchell back in May. The Australian brawler never takes a backwards step inside the ring, and Marquez fights best under pressure. The styles should mesh perfectly, and what we might just get is one hell of a wild fight.

With Marquez now removed from the equation. this should in turn pave the way for the Khan vs. Marcus Maidana fight to be made for towards the year end. That’s should be another scorching title fight. Here’s hoping Bradley and Alexander can agree terms to, and then we can have the two winners face off and find out for definite who is the best 140 lb fighter on the planet. There’s much to look forward to in the coming months.

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