by Monty McMahon
9/7 - Sharmba Mitchell (55-3-0, 30 KOs) is patiently waiting for his shot at redemption. That shot will come in the form of a November 6th rematch with IBF Jr. Welterweight title-holder Kosta Tszyu (30-1-0, 24 KOs). Mitchell's road to redemption has been a long and winding one since a bum knee forced him to retire in the seventh round of his original bout with Tszyu back in 2001.

Over the past three years, the southpaw has had the look of a dominant fighter, notching victories over Vince Phillips and Ben Tackie. However, two previous dates for the rematch with Tszyu have been pushed back - a November 2003 date after Tszyu suffered an achilles tendon injury and a February 2004 date when Tszyu suffered a shoulder injury. Despite the disappointment, Mitchell has been one of the most active fighters in the 140-pound division of late, disposing of Lovemore N'Dou, Michael Stewart and Moises Pedroza within the past eight months. In anticipation of his long-awaited rematch with Tszyu, the charismatic Mitchell took some time out to talk with TalkingBoxing.com's Monty McMahon.

SHARMBA MITCHELL

Monty McMahon: When do you start training for the Kosta Tszyu fight?

Sharmba Mitchell: Monday I'm going to start. Its kind of prep stuff for right now - swimming and running. I don't have to get to anything intense until later in the month. I've been fighting so much lately; I just came off training camp.

Monty McMahon: You've had some particularly dominating performances of late. Do you feel you're fighting the best that you have in your career?

Sharmba Mitchell: Yeah, because I've been fighting regularly. Fighting regularly keeps you tuned, keeps you sharp, which I love.

Monty McMahon: After the back-to-back losses to Levander Johnson and Stevie Johnston earlier in your career (1994), did you ever think you would get back to this point?

Sharmba Mitchell: In those two defeats I kind of beat myself -- by not even training for the first one, just being young and kind of dumb. The second fight, I thought I had a little help from the referee on that. But no great champion ever gives up. You don't want to be in this if you don't take it seriously. It's not a sport, it's your job.

Monty McMahon: Your rematch with Kosta Tszyu has been postponed twice. What has it been like for you getting to this rematch?

Sharmba Mitchell: It's frustrating, but being older I know how the game goes. I know the politics. As long as I keep busy it doesn't bother me. I wanted to get a fight in in August, so if anything happened with the (Tszyu) fight, I knew I could still fight on that actual day. So I wasn't getting my hopes up too high. But I wasn't going to sit and wait either.

Monty McMahon: Do you ever get the feeling he's dodging you?

Sharmba Mitchell: Sometimes I get that feeling. But knowing Kosta, he probably isn't. I'm trying not to get injured. Let's make this happen. It's a big weight on my shoulders. If Ray Leonard wouldn't have had Tommy Hearns or Roberto Duran he never would have had that defining fight, he never would have been that fighter.

Monty McMahon: Give me a prediction.

Sharmba Mitchell: I will win. With all the injuries and things that he's had, I'm sure to get him this time -- definitely. I'm injury free and very pumped up. I'm ready to do this thing.

Monty McMahon: Kosta has been inactive for some time, due to his various injuries. Do you feel you're going to see the best Kosta Tszyu has to offer?

Sharmba Mitchell: I might. Some fighters can do it and some can't. Maybe he's one that can come back and be dominant. We'll find out November 6.

Monty McMahon: Does it make any difference to you if Tszyu is at his best for your rematch?

Sharmba Mitchell: It doesn't make a difference to me. I thought I was winning the first fight and I wasn't the whole Sharmba. I hope he can be the old Kosta, but he wasn't dominant in the first fight. What makes him dominant this time?

Monty McMahon: What about Ricky Hatton? You once called him a B-level fighter. Has that opinion changed at all?

Sharmba Mitchell: No. He's still a B-level fighter. He had a chance to get out of that mix and fight someone (Vivian Harris), but he didn't do it. He could have been the WBA champion, but chose not to go that route

Monty McMahon: You've talked about moving up in weight for some big-money fights if you beat Tszyu. Is that still the plan?

Sharmba Mitchell: Definitely. When I beat Kosta, I plan to move up to 147.

Monty McMahon: Who do you go after first?

Sharmba Mitchell: I know Cory Spinks will still be the champion. So I'll go after Cory Spinks. Why would I go after lesser fighters? Why not go after the champion? I'll be the undisputed champion, so why not go after another undisputed champion?

Monty McMahon: You've also mentioned that you don't plan to fight much longer, perhaps a year or so.

Sharmba Mitchell: That's the plan right now, but who knows? This boxing game is weird. Who thought Bernard Hopkins would be fighting right now? Maybe this is my time to come out. I need to take advantage of every moment I can. I would love to fight five more times and get 60 wins. But if bigger things come along, I have to move on.

Monty McMahon: Lastly, Tszyu has said that he's healthy and hungry. He's quoted as saying, "I will punish Sharmba Mitchell," and "Sharmba had done a lot of talking and its time to shut him up." What is your response to Kosta Tszyu?

Sharmba Mitchell: That's good. I hope he does come to fight this time. He came to fight last time and I was still beating him with one leg. This is going to be fun. TalkingBoxing.com would like to thank IBF jr. welterweight champion Sharmba Mitchell for speaking with us!

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