Kevin Mitchell’s Lightweight Wars
On May 30, 2015, Kevin Mitchell challenged WBC lightweight champion Jorge Linares in London. Mitchell knocked Linares down in the fifth round, but the champion recovered and stopped the British contender later in the fight.
A domestic champion from Dagenham
Born in Essex in 1984, Mitchell won the 2003 ABA featherweight championship and turned professional that year. He made rapid progress at super-featherweight, taking the vacant Commonwealth title with a 12-round decision over Ghana’s George Ashie in October 2006. In March 2008, he stopped Carl Johanneson in the ninth round to win the British title and retain the Commonwealth belt. The fight brought him wider attention and established him as one of Britain’s leading prospects.
Stoppage losses and a rebuilding run
Mitchell’s first world-level opportunity came at Upton Park on May 15, 2010, against Michael Katsidis for the WBO interim lightweight title. BoxRec: Katsidis–Mitchell. Katsidis stopped him in the third round. Mitchell took time away, returned against John Murray in 2011, and rebuilt with a run of wins that led to a second challenge.
In September 2012, he met WBO champion Ricky Burns in Glasgow. Burns stopped Mitchell in the fourth round. Mitchell again recovered, winning six consecutive fights, including an eighth-round stoppage of Daniel Estrada in January 2015. That victory earned him a shot at WBC champion Linares.
A knockdown against Linares, then one last title bid
Mitchell challenged Linares at London’s O2 Arena on May 30, 2015. He dropped the Venezuelan in the fifth round and briefly threatened an upset, but Linares recovered and stopped him in the tenth. Mitchell fought once more, on December 12, for the vacant WBA interim lightweight title. Ismael Barroso halted him in the fifth round, ending his final title run.
Mitchell announced his retirement in February 2016, while scheduled to fight for the European title. He finished with 39 wins and four losses, including 29 knockouts. His world-title challenges against Katsidis, Burns and Linares, followed by the interim-title fight with Barroso, ended in defeat; his domestic titles and the competitive Linares bout remain central to his record.
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Kevin Mitchell, Boxing, Boxing History, Championship Results
