Dave Oakes recaps Saturday's lightweight clash between Michael Katsidis and Kevin Mitchell.

Michael Katsidis retained his interim world title on Saturday night after stopping Kevin Mitchell in the third round. Mitchell, the hometown hero, never looked comfortable with Katsidis’ aggressive style and was stopped on his feet in front of an impressive 20,000+ crowd.

The crowd were thunderously loud during the ring walks, cheering Mitchell and booing Katsidis, they were quickly silenced though as Katsidis started to back Mitchell up in the first round.

Mitchell looked to establish his jab from the opening bell and was having reasonable success doing so, but Katsidis had him back-pedalling frantically the first time he threw a cluster of punches. It was a worrying sign, Mitchell should’ve been using lateral movement and a tight guard, instead he moved backwards in a straight line with his hands down – not the wisest choice against a non-stop punching machine like the Aussie.

The second round saw Mitchell land a few decent shots whilst not getting caught with anything hard himself, although his defence still looked shoddy when Katsidis charged at him. Katsidis wasn’t just recklessly attacking; he was using his brain and trying to get Mitchell to open up. Mitchell was staying calm and not falling into the trap, but that all changed in the third.

Mitchell was drawn into trading punches early in the third; he was looking to land hurtful hooks when he was caught with a short left hook to the temple that robbed him of his senses. Katsidis didn’t miss the opportunity and jumped on the jelly-legged Londoner, he swung away like a man possessed whilst Mitchell tried to grab on for dear life.

Mitchell was right to try and grab but completely got it wrong when the referee split them, he was still on unsteady legs and should’ve tied up Katsidis again. He didn’t though; he went toe to toe with the Katsidis and paid the price.

He was catching Katsidis coming in but his punches didn’t look to have a great deal behind them. Katsidis walked his prey down before unleashing another vicious left hook that sent Mitchell’s head spinning, a few follow up shots went in as the referee jumped in to save a dazed and confused Mitchell from getting his head taken off.

It was an impressive win for Katsidis; Mitchell was a dangerous opponent and the betting favourite going into the fight. Katsidis exposed some fundamental flaws in Mitchell; the way he was backed up in straight lines was astonishing for a boxer with his experience. The fact he dropped his hands and blindly turned his head away from the incoming punches made him an easy target, and a fighter of Katsidis’ calibre was never going to pass up an opportunity like that.

Mitchell is talented enough and young enough to rebuild from this. I’d like to see him get back in the ring as soon as possible and look towards improving his defence at European level before stepping back up to world class.

After the fight Katsidis hinted that he’d like to box in Britain more often, as he’s a free agent and Frank Warren is as shrewd as they come, don’t be surprised to see Katsidis based over here for the foreseeable future. It would be a great move for Katsidis if he does choose that option, he’s built himself a good reputation after this and the Graham Earl fight and could become a big ticket seller.

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