WELLING boxer Matthew Marsh failed in his bid to capture the WBU world featherweight title when he lost to reigning champion Derry Mathews on Saturday.

Marsh took Liverpool’s Mathews all the way to the 11th of 12 scheduled three-minute rounds before his corner threw in the towel at York Hall in Bethnal Green.

Marsh, a member of West Ham ABC, struggled to deal with the champion’s reach in the first two rounds of the contest.

But he came back into the fight in the third and fourth rounds by landing some good blows to give the partisan support something to cheer about.

and by bobbing and weaving, he managed to avoid Mathews’ right hooks.

But Mathews soon learned to deal with Marsh’s evasive, hit-and-run approach, and began to dominate the fight.

Then, in the penultimate round, the Liverpool fighter caught Marsh with a right and sent him reeling into the ropes, following it up with a series of quickfire punches until the towel was thrown into the ring.