By Alexey Sukachev

O2 Arena, London - A champion is defined by his deeds, not by his titles. There have been questions recently regarding Jorge Linares' WBC lightweight title - one that he won the last year against little-known and lightly-regarded Mexican contender Javier Prieto. Those questions were asked tonight - not by the experts or reporters but by his mandatory challenger Kevin Mitchell - asked at his opponent's home in a brutal way.

The answer was clear: TBRB #9 Linares is a true champion with proof coming his way with three seconds remaining in round ten in one of the best British fights of 2015.

TBRB #8 and WBC #1 Mitchell, 30, was riding a six-fight winning streak (including 5 stoppages) with wins over Ghislain Maduma and Daniel Estrada in various lightweight eliminators, following his crushing loss to Ricky Burns in September 2012, his second losing effort in a championship fight. Linares was 7-0, 5 KOs, himself since back-to-back knockout losses to Antonio DeMarco and Sergio Thompson.

The Venezuelan, still 29 but defending his third title in the third weight division, was the one to start quickly, moving well, throwing combinations and looking great against a bit plodding challenger. Linares doesn't pack a single kayo punch so he hid his best blows behind pitty-pat punches in combinations. Mitchell tried to counter but was missing in the first two rounds. Things started to move his way in the third, when he finally found timing to catch Linares, not known for his durability, on his way in.

Rounds three and four were mostly for Mitchell but the real bomb was dropped by him early into the fifth, when a left-right combination sent Linares down. Dazed but conscious, the Venezuelan got up at eight and somehow weathered the storm afterwards. It was close, however, with Mitchell hitting him with everything but a kitchen sink. Referee Victor Loughlin did a great job not to intervene in order to produce yet another so-called "British stoppage".

The problem for Mitchell was his face. He was cut over his right eye after an accidental headbutt in the third and his face was rapidly puffing since the fourth. Mitchell still was better in the sixth, but Linares began to turn back the tide and looked better than his British opponent. He took the seventh, and in the eighth he was again hitting Mitchell in combos. The latter was hurt a couple of times but still standing. His offensive outbursts became increasingly more rare in the ninth, as his face was a bloody mess. Linares was once again the leading man, despite reportedly being WAY behind on the official scorecards.

Finally, in the tenth Linares caught Mitchell with a freaky right bomb that had him groggy in the corner. He summoned one last surge to get fire back at Linares but the Venezuelan survived the onslaught, hit back, and, finally, dropped Mitchell in the corner from a hard combination. The brave Brit got up but was too dazed and, most importantly, looked way too bad for the fight to continue as his left eye was cut and swollen like a baseball. The referee made the right decision by waving off the fight.

Time of stoppage was 2:57. Mitchell is now 39-3, with 29 KOs, while Linares has almost identical record of 39-3, with 26 KOs. Their career directions are now opposite, however, with the British fighter losing quite possibly his last chance at a title. Linares is now the man to beat at 135lb.