Boxing: Kevin Mitchell fails to live up to the hype in WBO lightweight title fight

The much-hyped and unbeaten Mitchell succumbed to a blistering attack from the all-action Aussie after two-and-a-half rounds of mysterious tactics from the Englishman.

He boxed the first half of the first round perfectly, keeping the champion at distance with a hammer jab, but when the dangerous Katsidis upped the workrate at the end of the round, Mitchell was drawn into a brawl. In the second, Mitchell seemed to invite Katsidis on, and did excellent work in scoring with counter-punches. But such tactics were meat and drink to Katsidis who loves nothing more than an all-action bout, as he showed in defeating Graham Earl at Wembley for the same title two years ago.

Katsidis just stayed on the front foot, and Mitchell took serious punishment at the start of the third round before a stunning left hook rendered the challenger's legs to jelly, and he was unable to weather the storm from Katsidis.

Mitchell tried to land some leather of his own, which only encouraged the Australian to up his punch count and he had the Essex lad on the ropes.

The Upton Park crowd knew the fight was over, and when referee Dave Parris called a halt there was no real protest. The time was 1 min 57 secs into the third.

All the talk of a possible top rank future promised for Mitchell – perhaps fighting Amir Khan and cleaning up the division – evaporated.

At 25, Mitchell will have to rebuild his career and intriguingly, that could benefit Scotland's Alex Arthur. The former super-featherweight world champion from Edinburgh, who is now a lightweight, always fancied a bout with Mitchell, and having not long parted company with Mitchell's manager and promoter Frank Warren, there should surely be a deal possible for Arthur to trade on his reputation and make a comeback against the deflated Mitchell.

"I thought I was winning," said Mitchell, "He lured me in and bang, he landed one of his big punches and I wobbled. It was good shot. I thought I could come back, but the referee jumped in. He's a good fighter and well done to him. He has mixed at a higher level than me but I'll be back, I promise."

In earlier bouts, the career of Danny Williams, the man who beat Mike Tyson and once challenged Vitali Klitschko for his world title, came to a sad end when he was outclassed by rising star Derek Chisora.

Williams tamely surrendered his British heavyweight championship to his younger, fitter challenger. Chisora had Williams wobbling twice in the second round before referee Howard John Foster stopped the one-sided contest.

Chisora paid tribute to the retiring Williams: "I've got to take my hat off to Danny, he boxed the two best heavyweights out there, Mike Tyson and Vitali Klitschko. He entertained us."

Former Olympic champion James DeGale is on course for a British or Commonwealth super-middleweight title attempt after taking his professional record to six out of six with victory over Midlands Area champion Sam Horton for the the WBA International super-featherweight title.