Thursday 4 June 2015 10:21, UK
It was a fantastic night of boxing at the O2 in London, so what did we learn?
The night confirmed Kell Brook is focused and on fire, that Jorge Linares is a true world champion and also that you should never miss a moment's action on a card that deep.
But here are five things that leapt out at us...
British boxing is booming
We are starting to rule the boxing world. May began with the Fight of the Century, we then saw history made in Boston and after an unforgettable night in London, we now have SIX world champions. That in itself says it all.
Lee Selby is the latest addition to a list that began with Scott Quigg less than two years ago and now includes his bitter rival Carl Frampton, Jamie McDonell, Brook and James DeGale (the first Brit to win an Olympic gold medal and a professional world title). Throw in Andy Lee, the Irish middleweight WBC holder and it's clear these islands are taking the world by storm.
Anthony Crolla, George Groves and Nathan Cleverly can join the list of world champions in their next fights, Paul Smith has got an outside chance of dethroning Andre Ward and Tony Bellew wants his third world title crack by September. Amir Khan is never far away from a belt and how can we forget that Tyson Fury is the WBO mandatory to take on Wladimir Klitschko?
We take world titles from them but they rarely come and take them from us now. We are gaining more and more respect and the age-old interpretation of a good old British fighter, bolt upright, straight shots is a thing of the past.
It is not just the quantity of our world champions, but the quality as well. Brook and DeGale beat Americans in their own backyards, McDonnell made his second defence over there too, while Quigg and Frampton want to settle domestic scores. They know they are among the best in the world but our fighters often want to prove they are the best in Britain first.
Carl Froch has finally stopped flying the flag as a world champion, which the likes of David Haye and Ricky Burns did just a few years ago, but there is a new breed of British fighters taking on the best and bringing those belts home.
The Welsh Mayweather is no myth
Nicknames in boxing can make or break you in terms of popularity but the one thing Lee Selby did was justify his and suggest that he could well be Barry's answer to the one-time Pretty Boy.
Most thought he would prise the IBF featherweight title away from Evgeny Gradovich but plenty of people thought he would do it over 12 rounds by stifling and slowing the champion down to win by a wide points margin - emulating Mayweather. By the time it came to an end, one judge had given him all seven rounds and the other two had gavin the champion just one.
On Saturday night, in easily the biggest test of his career so far, we saw more than defensive grinding down. Way more than that. Yes, he was constanly on the move, circling the ring and staying clear but whenever Gradovich got close enough, he let off seriously sharp and accurate combinations as well. The right did most of the damage.
We didn't see him let go fully on the offensive front because he really didn't need to, but don't be fooled. Like Mayweather, he can go downstairs, straight for the head, or on the move. And there is even more to come, that's for sure.
When the word 'unification' was mentioned, Selby was quick to point out that the featherweight division is a tough one. Vasyl Lomachenko and Nicholas Walters are established stars, Gary Russell Jr newly-emerged and while they are not quite Manny Pacquiao, Keith Thurman and Kell Brook, there are big fish in the 126lb pond.
Selby's white shorts with golden tassles had a hint of the young Mayweather and maybe 'Money' was somewhere nodding his head to the Welshman's ringwalk music. Selby did not need Lil Wayne blaring out alongside him. He is a big hip-hop fan and went out to Big L's 'Lifestylez ov da Poor and Dangerous'. Money will come. And maybe, the new Money will come from Wales.
Third time is not always lucky
If there was one thing we wanted to see come true on Saturday night, it was Kevin Mitchell's dream of winning a world title. The boy from East London, who had previously challenged Ricky Burns for a world crown after a high-profile interim world title bout with Michael Katsidis, is arguably the country's most popular fighter. To have seen him fail on two previous attempts was bad enough, but this was heart-breaking,
Mitchell is the first to admit there were other things going on when he challenged Burns and Katsidis in 2012 and 2014 respectively, but this time he was on-point. He needed to be against a three-weight world champion in the shape of Jorge Linares and it was a bout most people called the one 50-50 fight of the night.
The dream looked like it was coming true in the fifth round of a tactically smart and slick fight. A cracking short, sharp right put the champion down and it not only shifted the balance but also fired Mitchell ahead on the scorecards.
It was such a shame because we all wanted Mitchell to win that world title and he is still not a world champion.
The problem was, in the previous round a nasty clash of heads had split Michell's left eyelid and knowing he had to close the gap, Linares started to pick his man apart. We could see it slowly and sadly unfolding and when Mitchell finally slumped to the canvas in the 10th, a world title had eluded him again.
A London crowd that had boomed out 'I'm Forever Blowing Bubbles' all night was turned to silence. This third time was not just unlucky - it showed there is no crueller sport.
It will be hard to get Joshua decent opposition
Who will get in the ring with Anthony Joshua now? Well, we rarely know before the fight is confirmed but surely it is going to be hard to find someone willing to step up.
Kevin Johnson was supposed be the one who was going to shut one set of doors and open up a few more for those looking in. Well that didn't happen. Not only did Joshua become the first man to stop Kingpin, but he sent out another shockwave through the heayweight division.
It took 4mins 38secs to see him off. He landed 22 shots to Johnson's none and that came from what looked like a cautious approach. When he knocked him down in the first, he caught him again while he was on his backside, just to make sure. And if you saw the grin on his face, there was that evil streak, that finishing instinct, that separates champions from contenders.
Someone with a bit of speed and a jab has to come next on the back of Kevin Johnson, but I want to see someone who is taller, heavier, just bigger.
He is a beast of a man and the size alone is going to prove tough to match. David Price says he wants a go and does match the physical dimensions but should a man that has been stopped by a smaller, older and weaker Tony Thompson, go in with Joshua? Arguably the two world title holders, Wladimir Klitschko and Deontay Wilder, are the only two that can match up.
Domestic dust-ups still do it
There were three titles on the line on Saturday night that brought the best out of boxing without being world title bouts. Two of them were for British straps, one for a Commonwealth and when you wanted the night to get off to a good start, the all-British fights did more than whet they appetite.
The first was a rematch as Dave Ryan defended that Commonwealth light-welterweight belt against Johm Wayne Hibbert. Plenty will say it was the fight of the night and even among the fight of the year contenders. Ryan held on to the belt after a ding-dong battle that left both bloodied, bruised, battered but above all, proud to show what all-British affairs can deliver.
Next up someone's 0 had to go. The vacant British lightweight title was on the line for Scotty Cardle and Craig Evans. It was rough and tough from start to finish and when Cardle was crowned champion, you could see the delight. This is a guy that shares a gym with a world champion in the shape of Quigg and at least four other British champions and it was great to see him take his first step up the ladder.
When Scotty had won that Southern Area title and me, Ant Crolla, Scott Quigg, Stephen and Callum, all spoke to him about that Lonsdale belt and what it means.
Before the world titles took centre stage, Nick Blackwell produced a fierce right to floor John Ryder and seize the vacant middleweight honours. Both had pushed Billy Joe Saunders all the way and both were desperate to get up into that mix. It resulted in Ryder getting left behind for now and that is what these home soil scraps can do. You might be early in your career but you want to show Britain you are the best.
It is too easy to underestimate domestic dust-ups. There are always stories, is often excitement and it's usually thrilling entertainment. You might look back at all six fighters' records in years to come and one or two might well move on and up, but there is no doubt British title fights will always have their place. They are impossible to remove from the pecking order.
