By Ronnie Nathanielsz

Australia’s gallant Michael Katsidis who lost a split decision to former WBA/IBF and WBO world lightweight champion Juan “Baby Bull” Diaz in the American’s hometown of Houston, Texas has been taken to hospital for a suspected broken right hand.

That’s the report of Bernie Pramberg of the Australian newspaper, the Herald Sun .

Pramberg quotes Katsidis as saying he thought he broke his hand during the third round.

One judge – Glen Hamada had Katsidis the winner 115-113 while the two other judges Levi Martinez (115-113 ) and Gale Van Hoy (116-112) gave it to Diaz.

Most of the boxing writers as well as television commentators who were at ringside had Diaz the winner before a huge hometown crowd.

Katisids who right eye was cut and badlyu bruised said he was “disappointed at the decision but that’s the way it goes. What’s important is that people remember it as a great fight.” By all accounts it was a bruising battle but nowhere being a truly great fight.

The manager of  Katsidis, Brendon Smith also felt the Aussie had done enough to win and insisted that Katsidis was “right up there with the elite lightweights.”

Smith also claimed that former heavyweight champion Evander Holyfield visited Katsidis in his dressing room after the fight and told him “he thought Mick was the cleaner puncher and should have got the decision.”

It was the second successive setback for Katsidis who got careless against Joel Casamayor when he looked to be winning the fight and got stopped last March.

Katsidis has been in the US for the past 14 months and according to the Herald Sun he intends to continue pursuing the best boxers in the lightweight division saying “you either go hard or go home.”

One of the fighters Katsidis and his handlers have mentioned often is Filipino ring idol Manny Pacquiao but clearly such a fight is not going to happen because Pacquiao is concentrating on the really big fights and big money.