Bad Left Hook

Michael Katsidis will look to get his career on track fighting at 140 pounds when he faces Albert Mensah of Ghana on the April 13 edition of Friday Night Fights from Las Vegas.

Katsidis (28-5, 23 KO) has likely plateaued at age 31 and having piled up a metric ton of wear and tear over his career, but he'll give it at least one more go by moving up in weight from 135 pounds, where he's lost three straight fights and, to be blunt, failed conclusively in his bigger opportunities.

It's a very valid question of what Katsidis really has left anymore, and if he'll ever be anything approaching a legitimate contender again. I don't know anyone who doesn't like Michael Katsidis, but if you're being honest about his career at this point, we're probably into the period of his career where he's just a fighter, and maybe still a pretty decent one, but not a major factor anymore.

I've said before that I don't think Katsidis will move up in weight very well, either, and I still feel that way. I might be wrong, but he strikes me as a Ricky Hatton sort -- a guy who was effective at one weight. Katsidis' losses to Joel Casamayor, Juan Diaz , Juan Manuel Marquez, Robert Guerrero, and Ricky Burns tell me he's just that level below the top guys. He's been a good fighter, but has proven limited against actual top fighters when he's faced them, with his best wins coming over Kevin Mitchell and Vicente Escobedo.

Mensah (24-3-1, 10 KO) is listed at 5'10" and his height could be a potential problem for the rugged Katsidis, who still likes to get in tight and bang away. It's always hard to tell with Ghanaian fighters just how good they might be if they haven't had the opportunities for big fights, but since starting his career 9-3-1, he's won 15 straight since 2005. Most of those wins are absolutely nothing to write home about, and his best win was likely against Ayi Bruce in 2009.

Mensah last fought in July, beating Iraqi-born Canadian Andre Gorges in Chicago via majority decision.