MICHAEL “The Great” Katsidis will fight Argentina’s Angel Hugo “El Tren” Martinez for the World Boxing Organization Asia-Pacific lightweight tile on Jan. 31 at the Cebu Coliseum.

The fight card will feature seven bouts with four title matches headed by the Katsidis-Ramirez title fight. Three Pinoy warriors, WBO super bantamweight champion Ciso “Kid Terrible” Morales, WBO Asia Pacific Youth flyweight titlist Marvin “Marvelous” Sonsona and WBO Oriental super featherweight king Anthony “Rocky” Marcial, will also be defending their regional crowns against Thai opponents.

Katsidis, who is currently training in Pattaya, Thailand, will fly to the Philippines in the middle of January and will be continuing his preparation for his Jan. 31 title bout.

“Katsidis will be arriving here maybe before the Sinulog festival,” Gello-ani said in an interview with Sun.Star Cebu yesterday.

Katsidis has lost his last two fights against former world champions Joel Casamayor and Juan “Baby Bull” Diaz and has fought Filipino fighters like the Australian-based Ranee “KO Kid” Ganoy and ALA boy Czar Amonsot during a bloody fight in July 2007.

Amonsot suffered a head injury in his fight against Katsidis, forcing him to hang up his gloves. However, the ALA boxer has just been recently cleared to fight and the Boholano will be having his comeback fight, also on Jan. 31.

Gello-ani’s initial plan is to bring the former world champion to Manila to continue his training there for two weeks and spar with Marcial and Joel Dela Cruz and then fly him to Cebu City a week before the fight.

“I’m planning for Katsidis to stay in Makati and spar with Rocky, Joel and other big boxers there,” said Gello-ani.

Gello-ani picked Manila because he said Cebu City lacks the number of heavy sparring mates.

“Manila has more sparring partners. There are only a few 140-pound fighters here. We need good boxers to spar with him,” said Gello-ani.

However, if the Australian warrior prefers to stay in Cebu City, then Gello-ani will bring his spar mates here.

“If he doesn’t like Manila then I will bring the sparring partners to Cebu,” Gello-ani said.