Junior middleweight Andreas Katzourakis learned a crucial lesson in his last fight against Kudratillo Abdukakhorov: that what he perceives in the ring isn’t always what the judges see.
Now, as he prepares to face Robert Terry in the OTX junior middleweight tournament on Aug. 30 at the OTE Arena in Atlanta, Katzourakis is focused on refining his approach to ensure there are no doubts about the outcome.
Katzourakis (13-0, 10 KOs) admits that he initially thought he had completely dominated his last fight, yet the judges scored the fight a majority decision in his favor with one scorecard having it a draw.
“During the fight, I thought I completely dominated,” the 26-year-old Katzourakis said. “Afterward, when I reviewed the fight two, three times and scored it, I think I won the fight eight rounds to two. The 5-5 scorecard threw me off once I heard it.”
Despite his confidence, Katzourakis acknowledges that there were areas in which he could have done more.
“I could have done more in terms of setting my pace and not letting him start the combinations and throw the advances,” Katzourakis said. “I could have gone maybe a little more to the body, but it was a nice experience.”
Looking ahead to his bout with Terry, Katzourakis anticipates a different kind of challenge. Terry, 31, defeated Estevan Villalobos (12-0-1, 4 KOs) by outboxing him for 10 rounds, but will be the underdog against Katzourakis.
“The next fight is going to be against Robert Terry, a guy that is skillful, a technical boxer,” Katzourakis said. “He’s going to be moving a lot throughout the fight, trying to clinch when I get on the inside. So, I’m going to have to cut the ring while keeping my distance to plant my combinations.”
Katzourakis is confident in his ability to handle Terry, especially given what he perceives as his opponent’s lack of power.
“He’s got 12 wins and only four KOs,” Katzourakis said. “I don’t think he’s got enough power to keep me off him.
“Even if they have power or not, I’m going to try to get in and work my game. But if my opponent doesn’t have power and he doesn’t get any respect, it’s going to be a long night for him.”
Lucas Ketelle is a proud member of the Boxing Writers Association of America and author of “Inside The Ropes of Boxing” (available on Amazon). Contact him on X @LukieBoxing.