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Mark Lyons is back with this week's edition of One More Round.

Last weekend brought a pedestrian double header from HBO, as neither Khan/Malignaggi or Ortiz/Campbell delivered much excitement.  Thankfully Saturday wasn't totally underwhelming, as there was also a thrilling performance, that coming from the always entertaining Michael Katsidis in a 3 round blitzing of Kevin Mitchell.

This week we take a trip back in time to when sometimes a trilogy just wasn't enough and the term undercard didn't stand for prospect working the heavy bag. I know that many fight fans have feelings of trepidation heading into Israel Vazquez vs Rafael Marquez IV this weekend. You will not be hearing from one of them in this column, as I can't wait to see these two warriors go at it again!

Let's start with last weekend's action...

Khan - Malignaggi

I was brief in my words before last weeks Amir Khan - Paulie Malignaggi fight. In my mind the outcome was a foregone conclusion and in the grand scheme of things I'm not sure what the win really does for Amir.  I'm not saying he didn't add a solid name to his resume, but as far as his development as a fighter and our ability to evaluate him, I don't think much was gained.  He's very fast, has good power and excellent boxing ability.   We already knew all that.  It all comes down to a singular issue for Mr. Khan, and questions regarding that were never going to be asked by Malignaggi.

One thing I will say is that Khan does have a lot of self belief; he isn't in there trying to protect his Achilles chin and in no way does he appear tentative. Granted, he was in against a guy who couldn't crack an egg, but when a fighter has mental scars, they usually show up in a subtle manner no matter whom they are staring across the ring at.

For Paulie I don't know what to say. His honesty is refreshing, I have to give him that much. He just doesn't have the skills to go up against the elite in the division and that wont change no matter what he does.  He is a live personality, so I'm sure he can find cable TV dates and build up to another larger fight, but I'm hard pressed to come up with a big name at junior-welter that wouldn't dominate him.

Ortiz - Campbell

Speaking of mental scars, I think Victor Ortiz has a few. I've always felt that Victor got a bit of a raw deal being branded a "quitter" after the Maidana fight. He could have easily stayed down in the first round or went down at the end of the fifth if he didn't want to be there. He only pulled the plug when he was a beaten fighter whose eye was blowing up like someone was inflating it with a pump.  All that proved was that he isn't made from the same ilk as Matthew Saad Muhammad.  Big deal, a small percentage are. More on that later.

As for the fight against Nate Campbell, Victor was hesitant to engage at times. But it has to be said that he followed an ideal game plan, given the style of man in front of him.  Nate's only real chance was drawing Ortiz into an inside battle and Victor would not oblige him. The problem is that when a guy comes up as a knock out artist and has the power to back that up, there is something not right about watching him two step around a wounded old fighter that's ready to be taken out.  I wont rush to judgment on the kid, but an apex predator he most certainly is not.

As far as Nate goes, he accomplished more than anybody, myself included, ever thought he would and he is saying the right things about moving forward with his life.  I wish him luck.

Perhaps a commentating position is in his future?  The few times I've heard him on the mic, he was excellent.  One thing boxing telecasts desperately need are competent analysts.  But, no matter what happens moving forward, Nate Campbell went from Wynn Dixie to the undisputed Lightweight Champion of the World and that is awesome.

Katsidis - Mitchell

I love watching these fight cards from Europe on Saturday afternoons. It takes me back to my youth when Saturday afternoon was alright for fighting. The internet is a beautiful thing and so was the performance Michael Katsidis gave against the talented Kevin Mitchell. Michael sent the home town crowd home unhappy with a barrage of power shots in the third round.

He also showed himself to be a smarter fighter in there than people give him credit for. He had Mitchell coming to him from the opening bell and then he would attack in short bursts before backing off again. Kevin has fast hands and seemed to be comfortable behind his jab, but when Katsidis stunned him moments into the third, there was just too much time left for him to survive.

Everybody handles their first defeat differently, especially when it's via stoppage. There are of course the two examples above in Khan and Ortiz.  If I had to make a guess on Mitchell, I think he will rebound and get back into the mix among the best at 135.  He looks to have plenty of resolve.

For Katsidis, he showed me that he is evolving into more than just a brawler. Whomever he fights, you can count me in. Unlikely as it is, I'll cast a vote for Maidana/Katsidis. It couldn't get any better than that.

Looking ahead to this weekend...

Perez - Mares

First off, the opener with Yohnny Perez and Abner Mares is a throwback in it's own right. Undefeated and talented youngster testing his mettle against a more proven champion in what figures to provide fireworks. Kudos to Abner's handlers for setting their sights high. I thought he was ready to step up before his unfortunate eye injury and the time is at hand.

I'm expecting an intense and hotly paced fight in front of a juiced up crowd. Abner is a well rounded young fighter but I have a hunch that he will be doing more slugging than boxing. Perez will press the pace and Mares will meet him head on. In what boils down to experience I'll take Yohnny by very close decision as Mares joins the mounting number of top fighters in the stacked bantamweight division. I wouldn't be at all surprised if these two started a series as another potentially ends.

Vazquez - Marquez

And now, for the few in attendance and the dozens reading around the world...LETS GET READY.....meh you know the rest.

I've been reading a lot of thoughts on this fight that puzzle me. First off, let me say that concern for fighters is a given and I'm certainly not telling anyone to have a cavalier attitude about what these gladiators lay on the line every time they climb into the squared circle. But make no mistake about it, boxing isn't tiddlywinks. If it was, men like Rafael Marquez & Israel Vazquez wouldn't be doing it. I'm going to tackle a couple of the points I've been hearing before I get into a prediction.

"The trilogy was perfect as it is"

I can't argue that it's one of the greatest trilogies in boxing history, but I'm not in the corner that believes there was definitive closure to it.  I had Rafa winning the rubber match by a point and even if you thought Izzy pulled it out with his dramatic final round rally...pulled it out is the operative term. These guys are as evenly matched as fighters can be. What would be so wrong about them being tied at two wins a piece? If one of them scores a decisive victory does that sully anything that has already happened? What are the odds against this being another back and forth war? 1-5? These two will be forever linked in history no matter what happens on Saturday night and beyond. They were meant for each other, just sit back and enjoy the next instalment.

"They are both shot"

First and foremost they are grown men who have the right to earn their living the way they see fit.  And secondly, I wouldn't be so sure that they are "finished".  Both men took a much deserved and needed rest after the first three battles. In Rafael's return, he looked rusty before he turned out the lights on his opponent.  As far as Izzy goes, he looked like Izzy. He has turned into a modern day Saad Muhammad. He gets hurt, he bleeds, he wins. I'm not going to lie, the caliber of his comeback opponent doing that kind of damage is a major concern. At the same time, that's what he does in there and he was also rusty.

However you slice it, these guys get the benefit of the doubt from me until proven otherwise. If one or both of them doesn't have it anymore, it is only fitting that they find out together. If they both are still at the elite level, then perhaps there will be a fifth volume for people to complain about down the line.

How I see it playing out...

It doesn't take a rocket scientist, to know they are going to go at it like rabid dogs. Both fighters will probably see the canvas and we as fans will once again be in awe at the ferocity and heart these two men display for our entertainment. There will be constant changes in momentum and vicious punishment.  In other words, a Vazquez vs Marquez fight.

I still consider Rafael to be the better technician in there and I expect him to build up another lead. I know I'm in the minority here, but I'm a little concerned in how long it's been since Marquez has had to take hard shots. But I'm guessing that he will hold off a typical Vazquez rally and even the series by close decision.

A few final thoughts on this "can't miss" fight...

If you're in the area, do these two a favor and buy a ticket. If you're not, call your friends and tell your co-workers that there is a fight that can't be missed.  Despite all of the preposterous tales of boxing's demise, the sport is growing in popularity. There is a casual fan base out there, just ask Floyd Mayweather. Get them to watch this card.  Tell a diehard MMA fan to check it out.  We all owe it to these guys to get them seen by as many people as possible.

Because in the end, we are all fans because of events like this.  I don't care about Sportscenter or PPV. This is what matters to me, and if you don't have goosebumps when the referee brings these guys together for the fourth time on Saturday night, all I can say is I'm sorry you don't get it.

And when the dust settles and the inevitable war comes to a close, I think everyone that watched will take a deep exhale and realize that these two just did exactly what they love doing more than anything in the world... and there is nobody they would have rather done it against.

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