- 2 months ago
IBF interim Jr Welterweight Champion Sharmba Mitchell faces Michael Stewart on Showtime Boxing
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00:00:00For more on Mitchell, Steve Farhood, who is filling in for Jim Gray, visited with Shambay in his dressing room earlier tonight.
00:00:07Shambay, you're 33 years old, and lately you've been fighting often and against good competition,
00:00:13when a lot of fighters, as they get older, fight less often. What's your thinking?
00:00:17Older, that's a number. And I'm not old. I'm still young.
00:00:21You know, fighting often is very good, especially when you're a guy in a lower weight where you have to make a weight
00:00:30and you're not a heavyweight and you can fight six or seven times just a month, you know, like that.
00:00:37I like to stay in there often because, you know, it keeps you sharp, keeps you on top of your game,
00:00:42and actually it keeps your weight down.
00:00:45Your opponent tonight, Michael Stewart, has a very aggressive face for a style.
00:00:49Ricky Hatton has the same style. Is a fight with Stewart tonight good preparation for the fight we're talking about later, the Hatton fight?
00:00:56I couldn't even tell you that. You know, my managers and my promoters, they just tell me, you know, who I'm fighting
00:01:05or if they weigh 140 pounds, then I'll get in there and fight them.
00:01:08And, you know, I don't worry about, you know, the next fight or, you know, who's coming after who
00:01:13or if this fight, you know, is a preparation for the next fight or anything like that
00:01:17because I had to focus on what's going on in front of me.
00:01:20Your mind, ever since you lost with the knee injury against Kostya Zou, your mind has always been on a rematch.
00:01:26You said that was the only reason you were still fighting.
00:01:28Is Kostya Zou out of your mind now?
00:01:31It's out of my mind now because I have to do what I have to do.
00:01:33And, you know, hopefully he's getting, you know, his injury is coming along pretty good
00:01:40and, you know, things of that nature. If he chooses to get back in the ring, so be it.
00:01:43If he doesn't, then, you know, so be it and, you know, have a nice life.
00:01:48But Sean B. Mitchell has to do what, you know, Sean B. Mitchell has to do.
00:01:51And I have to keep on fighting until, you know, I'm ready to get out of it.
00:01:56Well, in Mitchell's last fight, he seemed preoccupied with Kostya Zou instead of the guy in front of him.
00:02:01Al, do you think he's gotten Zou out of his mind and is completely focused on Mike Stewart?
00:02:05Well, you know, he was very disappointed with his last effort against Lovemore and Nadu.
00:02:10But he says he's rededicated himself to the details of slick boxing that are his trademark.
00:02:15He seems very focused for this fight, and he says he's not looking past Michael Stewart.
00:02:19But if he isn't, it seems that others certainly are because despite a number one IBF world ranking
00:02:25and the fact that he's only had one loss in 38 fights,
00:02:28Stewart feels he's kind of come into this fight under the radar.
00:02:31The media frenzy here in Manchester has focused much more on a possible Hatton-Mitchell bout.
00:02:37But Stewart is a blue-collar contender.
00:02:38He's labored seven and a half years in the sport to get this chance.
00:02:43Now, he's not a household name among junior welterweights,
00:02:45but he's certainly no sacrificial lamb either.
00:02:48He has the stylistic tools that could make this an excellent matchup.
00:02:54As Michael Stewart advances forward in this fight, got to use the jab.
00:02:58It's a terrific weapon, and he needs to double with it.
00:03:01Now, he's an excellent body puncher, but he can't delay in doing that.
00:03:05And he doubles with the hook naturally.
00:03:09It's a terrific combination to use in this match.
00:03:12Now, if he can slip Mitchell's jab and then get himself in a good punching position on the inside,
00:03:19that's where he can do effective body work.
00:03:22And then ultimately double with the left hook, which of course would include the body punch,
00:03:26and then the left hook to the head.
00:03:28This is vital against a left-hander like Charm Bay Mitchell.
00:03:33For Mitchell, doesn't want any wide punches tonight.
00:03:37The Stewart can be hit with straight punches.
00:03:39He has some serious defensive liabilities.
00:03:42The center of the ring is certainly the best place for Charm Bay to be.
00:03:45He can't languish against the ropes.
00:03:49And he should be who he is, which is a clever boxer puncher.
00:03:53Don't change identities.
00:03:56Mitchell can hit you with good punches like the straight left hand,
00:04:01and then turn defensive and show his great defensive abilities and make you miss.
00:04:06And following that, a classic 1-2 combination that will certainly serve him well tonight
00:04:15if he uses it against Stewart.
00:04:17This is vintage Charm Bay Mitchell.
00:04:20Dare I say the classic bull versus the matador.
00:04:24As we close in on Charm Bay Mitchell versus Michael No Joke Stewart,
00:04:28the only other time Mitchell fought outside the United States was back in 1998 in Paris,
00:04:34the night he won the WBA title.
00:04:37Let's go up to our ring announcer, Jimmy Lennon Jr.
00:04:39Ladies and gentlemen, join me now at this time
00:04:42as we prepare to welcome the boxers to the ring
00:04:45in this, our World Championship special attraction.
00:04:49First, ladies and gentlemen, here comes the challenger number three,
00:04:54ranked contender, introducing Michael Stewart.
00:05:04Philadelphia area fighter Mike Stewart has never fought for a world title,
00:05:09and he feels his time has come.
00:05:11He does own wins over Teron Millett and Ivan Robinson,
00:05:14although both were past their prime.
00:05:16He's not used to being the underdog, but clearly he is tonight,
00:05:19calling himself a real-life Rocky.
00:05:22A huge fan favorite back home in Delaware,
00:05:24where he says the sports bars will be sold out.
00:05:28Al, unquestionably, his biggest moment.
00:05:30Yeah, he's still a full-time construction worker.
00:05:33He's dreamed of this moment.
00:05:34Now here he is in England, of all places where he lives it out.
00:05:38A walk-in, body-bashing, pressure guy not known for defense,
00:05:42fought only one southpaw in 38 fights, a win.
00:05:44If Mitchell's really on, could be made to order for the little big man.
00:05:50Back to Jimmy.
00:05:51And now, ladies and gentlemen, making his way to the ring,
00:05:54please welcome the defending world champion,
00:05:57known as the little big man, introducing Shambay Mitchell.
00:06:11Hearing it from the crowd, Shambay Mitchell,
00:06:14a fight that makes sense for the elusive southpaw,
00:06:16with a showdown versus Ricky Hatton looming large.
00:06:19His opponent, while perhaps not on the same skill level
00:06:22as Patton has a similar style, Mitchell in his 17th year as a professional,
00:06:28a very short turnaround for a guy
00:06:30who had seemingly discovered the fountain of youth
00:06:33until his last fight, an unspectacular decision
00:06:37over relatively unknown late replacement Lovemore Nadeau.
00:06:41That after he'd looked so sharp versus Ben Tacky.
00:06:44Al, he seems highly motivated to impress,
00:06:46particularly here on Hatton's turf.
00:06:48Well, with only a week off of training,
00:06:50he says he got right back into it,
00:06:53and he believes that he has rededicated himself
00:06:55to doing the things that has made him a great junior wealth lawyer.
00:07:00Set for the numbers right now here in Manchester
00:07:02as we check out the tale of the tape.
00:07:06The 33-year-old Mitchell is seven years older than Stewart.
00:07:10Mitchell's an inch shorter but has a five-inch reach advantage.
00:07:13At yesterday's weigh-in, both came in just under.
00:07:16The intangible experience factor goes to Mitchell.
00:07:20And the key unified rules is no standing eight count,
00:07:22no three knockdown rule.
00:07:23A fighter cannot be saved by the bell in any round.
00:07:26If an accidental headbutt occurs before the end of the fourth,
00:07:30it's a no decision.
00:07:31If it happens after the end of round four,
00:07:32they go to the scorecards.
00:07:37So here at the MEN Arena in Manchester, England,
00:07:40we are getting ready for the little big man,
00:07:44veteran Shambay Mitchell,
00:07:46the former world champion versus Michael Nojo Stewart
00:07:49for the interim IBF 140-pound belt to Jimmy Lennon Jr.
00:07:52Ladies and gentlemen in attendance,
00:07:55live and exclusive across the UK on Sky Sports,
00:07:58and to our boxing fans joining us around the world,
00:08:02we welcome you to the MEN Arena
00:08:04here in the beautiful city of Manchester, England,
00:08:08as we have a big night of action in store for you.
00:08:11And it's all brought to you by Frank Warren's Sports Network
00:08:15in association with FrankWarren.TV,
00:08:19Sky Sports, and Showtime,
00:08:22as sponsored by Numeroff, U-Tech,
00:08:24and the McKenzie Corporation.
00:08:27At this time, we present the first of our world title attractions.
00:08:30This bout also made possible by Gary Shaw Productions,
00:08:35and it is sanctioned by the International Boxing Federation,
00:08:38the president, Marion Mohamed,
00:08:40supervisor, Lindsay Tucker.
00:08:43Along with the British Boxing Board of Control,
00:08:45the steward in charge is Dennis Lockton.
00:08:49Introducing to you at this time
00:08:50are three judges scoring this bout from ringside.
00:08:53From Dorchester, England, we have Howard Foster.
00:08:56From Kent, England, Roy Francis.
00:08:58And from London, we have Dave Paris.
00:09:02Introducing our third man in the ring,
00:09:04the referee in charge of this bout,
00:09:07Ian John Lewis.
00:09:10All right, fans, here we go.
00:09:1312 rounds of boxing for the interim IBF
00:09:16Junior Welterweight Championship of the World.
00:09:21Introducing to you first the challenger.
00:09:23He is on my left,
00:09:25fighting out of the red corner,
00:09:26entering the ring wearing white trunks with orange trim,
00:09:30and hailing from Newcastle, Delaware,
00:09:33in the United States.
00:09:36He weighed in at nine stone,
00:09:3813 and one-half pounds,
00:09:40or 139 and one-half U.S. pounds.
00:09:43His outstanding record includes 35 wins,
00:09:46one defeat, two draws,
00:09:49with 19 wins coming by way of knockout.
00:09:52Ladies and gentlemen,
00:09:53please welcome the United States Boxing Association champion,
00:09:57currently ranked number three junior welterweight in the world by the IBF.
00:10:02Introducing the challenger,
00:10:03Michael,
00:10:05no joke,
00:10:07Stewart.
00:10:07And his opponent across the ring on my right,
00:10:17fighting out of the blue corner,
00:10:18this 12-round championship attraction.
00:10:21He is the defending world champion,
00:10:23wearing black trunks with white trim,
00:10:26fighting out of Washington, D.C.
00:10:28by way of Tacoma Park, Maryland,
00:10:31in the United States.
00:10:33His weight,
00:10:34nine stone,
00:10:3513 pounds,
00:10:36or 139 U.S. pounds.
00:10:38His record stands at 53 wins,
00:10:41three losses,
00:10:42with 30 wins coming by way of knockout.
00:10:45Ladies and gentlemen,
00:10:46please welcome the two-time 140-pound world champion.
00:10:50Here is the current interim IBF,
00:10:52junior lightweight champion of the world,
00:10:55known as the little big man.
00:10:58Introducing,
00:10:59Shambay Mitchell.
00:11:08Once again,
00:11:08a referee in charge,
00:11:09Ian John Lewis,
00:11:11now to give instructions,
00:11:1212 rounds of boxing scheduled.
00:11:16Boxers?
00:11:19I am the referee.
00:11:21I spoke to both of the dressing rooms.
00:11:23I obey my command at all times.
00:11:24You both have the rules.
00:11:25Watch the heads,
00:11:26kick the punches up.
00:11:27When I shall break,
00:11:28you break clean.
00:11:29And remember,
00:11:30to finish off at all times.
00:11:31Check-ins.
00:11:35A real East Coast fight
00:11:36in jolly old England.
00:11:38Why not?
00:11:39Shambay Mitchell told us
00:11:40he's going to school.
00:11:41Mike Stewart wants to return
00:11:42to all that sharp stuff.
00:11:43Slips and rolls,
00:11:44as he called it.
00:11:45Maybe even a bolo punch or two.
00:11:47Mike Stewart said devilishly,
00:11:49I like to wreck a party.
00:11:50Meaning,
00:11:51he already proposed,
00:11:52Hatton-Mitchell showdown.
00:11:55Stewart,
00:11:56a tough,
00:11:56gritty,
00:11:56punishing,
00:11:57straight-ahead guy.
00:11:58Not a particularly big puncher,
00:12:01but he can wear you down.
00:12:03Second is out.
00:12:04As the third man,
00:12:05Ian John Lewis,
00:12:06of Kent,
00:12:06England,
00:12:07brings the two fighters together.
00:12:09Round one scheduled for 12.
00:12:10Big question,
00:12:11Al,
00:12:12will Shambay Mitchell
00:12:12be as vulnerable tonight
00:12:13as he was in his last fight,
00:12:15or will we see
00:12:16Mitchell's vintage hand speed
00:12:18as boxing's killed
00:12:19in excellent technical defense?
00:12:21Well,
00:12:22you already see
00:12:22the hand speed
00:12:23from Shambay Mitchell,
00:12:24and while he wasn't thrilled
00:12:25with his performance
00:12:26against Lovemore and Tadou,
00:12:27of course,
00:12:27he ended up winning
00:12:28a decision in that fight.
00:12:30Stewart's defensive liabilities
00:12:32are a big question
00:12:33in this fight.
00:12:34Will Mitchell be able
00:12:35to hit him at will
00:12:36up the middle?
00:12:37One of Mitchell's great assets,
00:12:39his ability to avoid
00:12:40getting hit with clean punches,
00:12:42but he was nailed more
00:12:43than we've ever seen
00:12:44in the Tadou fight.
00:12:46Was that a result
00:12:48of his opponent
00:12:48being faster than he thought,
00:12:50or is he finally beginning
00:12:51to show signs of age
00:12:53and a long career?
00:12:57Here in this first round,
00:12:58Mitchell attacking
00:12:59a little bit more
00:13:00than you might even anticipate,
00:13:02not giving as much
00:13:03lateral movement to Stewart.
00:13:05There's Stewart trying
00:13:06to dig the hook.
00:13:07He's really, really
00:13:08going to focus
00:13:11on trying to land that hook
00:13:12to the body and the head,
00:13:13Mike Stewart.
00:13:15Nice left hand
00:13:17as Mitchell now goes
00:13:19to the body.
00:13:22Mitchell not very prone
00:13:23to the right hook
00:13:24or a combination puncher
00:13:26and a jabber
00:13:27and a straight left hand
00:13:28just landed.
00:13:29That's also a good weapon
00:13:30which dropped Ben Tacky
00:13:32in round 11 of that fight.
00:13:34The only time Tacky's been down.
00:13:35Hatton did a great job
00:13:37against Tacky,
00:13:38technically speaking,
00:13:39but he never got him down
00:13:40like Sean B. did.
00:13:43Mitchell jab's been
00:13:44very effective
00:13:45in round one.
00:13:47There's that hook
00:13:48from Stewart.
00:13:48He's going to be committed
00:13:49to that punch,
00:13:50especially to the body,
00:13:51but Mitchell's done
00:13:52a nice job
00:13:52with his combination puncher.
00:13:55It was right on the hip
00:13:56by Stewart.
00:13:56You saw the grimace
00:13:57by Mitchell.
00:13:59Stewart who got his nickname
00:14:00from his manager
00:14:01and the amateurs
00:14:02who once said,
00:14:03Hey, this kid's no joke.
00:14:05It's stuck.
00:14:08Under a minute remaining
00:14:08round one from Manchester,
00:14:10England.
00:14:11Crowds settling in.
00:14:15Mitchell in the black trunks,
00:14:16Stewart in the white
00:14:17with the red trim.
00:14:20Stewart very dedicated.
00:14:22After an eight hour workday
00:14:24in construction,
00:14:25drives 45 minutes
00:14:26from Delaware
00:14:26to train in Philly.
00:14:28Works out for two
00:14:29and a half hours
00:14:30and drives home.
00:14:32There's a huge following
00:14:33back in Delaware.
00:14:35They're filling
00:14:36the sports cars there.
00:14:37And so far,
00:14:38what they're seeing is
00:14:39while Mitchell's having
00:14:40a pretty good first round,
00:14:41Michael Stewart's not in awe
00:14:42of this situation
00:14:43or of Mitchell.
00:14:44He's getting a few things
00:14:45done in this first round.
00:14:47So, and surprisingly,
00:14:49the right hand got there.
00:14:50This is where he wants Mitchell.
00:14:52Even though the guys
00:14:52are being blocked.
00:14:53And Mitchell told us
00:14:54he might try to rope it up.
00:14:55Maybe this is his version of it.
00:14:57Yes, he did.
00:14:58So, this could be
00:14:59a little game of possum
00:15:00being employed
00:15:01by Shumbey Mitchell
00:15:02covering up
00:15:03as Stewart unleashes.
00:15:06Stewart got a good right hand
00:15:08in just before the bell.
00:15:09Upstairs.
00:15:16Look at him, baby.
00:15:17Look at him.
00:15:17Look at him.
00:15:23All that is right.
00:15:24Andrew Brown goes with him.
00:15:27This is the first part is
00:15:29in the loop.
00:15:29I think he's doing it.
00:15:29All that is.
00:15:31All that is.
00:15:32Let me go.
00:15:34OK, we're good.
00:15:41We're here with the games.
00:15:41Is it the bomb system?
00:15:42It's going to be set.
00:15:43It wouldn't be set.
00:15:44It doesn't matter.
00:15:45Trevor football
00:15:45As responded to Перв Richard
00:15:46because there's something
00:15:47over the major warfare
00:15:48and she's getting
00:15:48it's been opened for me.
00:15:49And she just put him over time.
00:15:49She's going to be coop ata
00:15:50всегоار cama,
00:15:50And you see Stewart doing what he does, which is start to dig to the body, try and get to the head.
00:15:56Now, the head shots blocked mostly, the body shots getting through.
00:15:59And this appeared to be a specific ploy by Shambay Mitchell.
00:16:05But meantime, those body shots did land.
00:16:10Round two after an interesting end to round one, which had to give Stewart some confidence,
00:16:16even though it may have been a scheme by Shambay Mitchell.
00:16:20And we would remind you that here in England, we are not allowed to put our microphones in the corners.
00:16:26And that's part of the reason why we don't hear or sometimes we'll hear not as well as we would like.
00:16:31Sometimes we will hear a portion of what's said there from our camera mic, but not as well as we'd like.
00:16:37What'd you say?
00:16:3930 seconds into round two.
00:16:41I know you were going to say that.
00:16:43So predictable.
00:16:45Interesting first round.
00:16:47You know, an entertaining one, a competitive one.
00:16:49You know, here's the right hand by Stewart.
00:16:51That's something he's landing a little more than I would have anticipated earlier in this time.
00:16:56Oh, Mike!
00:17:02This is Mitchell.
00:17:03This is the shortest turnaround for Mitchell since 1996.
00:17:07So he's back in the ring very quickly.
00:17:09He thought that would be a big benefit to him.
00:17:11And so far he's looking sharp, even though Stewart has also done well.
00:17:16Mitchell said he wants to retire.
00:17:17Good left hand.
00:17:18Upper area.
00:17:20Neck area by Shambay Mitchell.
00:17:22Seems to be dancing around a lot more.
00:17:24Now the hand speed coming through.
00:17:26Going to the body.
00:17:27Going upstairs.
00:17:30Mitchell looking a lot sharper here in round two.
00:17:33Getting his bearings.
00:17:35He said he wants to retire after 60 fights and one more belt.
00:17:39The rate he's going, that might be next week.
00:17:42Since the promoter, Gary Shaw, he wants 60 fights.
00:17:45Gary wants him to fight till he's 60.
00:17:47Right.
00:17:49You know, Mitchell is boxing well from the outside and landing some pretty good shots.
00:17:53But the one thing Stewart has done, I think, is a little better job defensively.
00:17:59Mitchell clipping Stewart on the top of the head there.
00:18:01And Stewart momentarily losing his balance.
00:18:08Mitchell looking.
00:18:09Oh, Mitchell getting wrapped with a nice connection of a left hand by Stewart on the cheek.
00:18:16Now, you know, that was about as good a left hook as Mike Stewart can throw to the head.
00:18:20Did it hurt Mitchell?
00:18:21Probably not.
00:18:22And maybe that's a bad sign.
00:18:24And some blood also coming from under the eye of Stewart.
00:18:28But I'll tell you what, he's being very aggressive.
00:18:30He is.
00:18:31He is prone to cuts and head glasses.
00:18:34He had plastic surgery, did Stewart, over his left eye after a fight with a fighter named
00:18:38Mike Davis back in April 2002.
00:18:40Mitchell standing and trained, as you can see, and that abrasion gets a little worse underneath
00:18:47the left eye.
00:18:48Very red now.
00:18:49Mike Stewart.
00:18:50One again.
00:18:51Two.
00:18:51And it's starting to swell up as we speak.
00:18:5413 seconds left in round two.
00:18:56It's been a much improved round for Sean Bay Mitchell.
00:19:01Come on, man.
00:19:02Get on it, fellas.
00:19:04After a sort of a feeling out process in the opening three minutes.
00:19:07You can't hear it.
00:19:19You can't hear it.
00:19:19It's busy enough.
00:19:20This is a straight left hand from Charmbe Mitchell that may have been where the cut under the eye occurred
00:19:48and started with the swelling. Yeah, it glanced right off the bottom area of the eye.
00:19:52Yeah, and you can see Stewart touching it.
00:19:55So there might have been a little swelling already, and then that created the cut.
00:19:58Nice straight left hand.
00:20:02There's a great close-up off that scraping shot by Charmbe Mitchell under the eye.
00:20:08At least the cut is in a good spot for Stewart underneath the eye,
00:20:11although we'll see if the swelling becomes a factor.
00:20:15Here, Stewart in very good hands with veteran trainer and cut man Leon Tavs.
00:20:19It is round three scheduled for 12.
00:20:22An early cut under the left eye of Michael Stewart.
00:20:25We'll see if it impacts.
00:20:26You know, coming into this fight, really, we thought it was a very good style matchup,
00:20:30and I think it's been just that in the first two rounds.
00:20:33Very, very interesting fight, and part of it, let's give Charmbe Mitchell credit for making an interesting fight.
00:20:38He has been willing to, while he's given some lateral movement,
00:20:42stand in exchange with Stewart, and that's made it more entertaining.
00:20:46Mitchell's game, though predicated on hand speed,
00:20:48while swinging a mess off a left hook try by Nojo.
00:20:52Let me show them, go! Fight!
00:20:54The referee bouncing in there, Ian John Lewis,
00:20:58from the home of Packy East, also known as Bob Hope,
00:21:01that's former amateur boxer before he got into showbiz.
00:21:05Kent England.
00:21:08And it got by round three.
00:21:11Michael Stewart's never fought outside the United States,
00:21:13and when he came here, he said he got two instructions from his daughter.
00:21:16One, she said, Daddy, don't get caught.
00:21:18Unfortunately, that's already happened already.
00:21:21And she said, come home with another belt.
00:21:23Of course, he's got the USBA belt, and this is the belt he really covets,
00:21:26the World IBF Championship.
00:21:28Two successful defenses of that USBA crowd.
00:21:33Ranked number three by the IBF, 6WBO.
00:21:37This for an entire title.
00:21:39You know, the lateral movement now and the defensive skills of Mitchell
00:21:42becoming a bigger issue, and the hand speed as well.
00:21:45And Stewart's having a much tougher time hitting him.
00:21:49Oh!
00:21:49Get on!
00:21:51Yeah, Mitchell having more difficulty as time goes on with a slippery southpaw.
00:21:59Oh, he's waiting! He's waiting!
00:22:00And there he almost had Mitchell cornered out of the rug, couldn't get him.
00:22:03What's so much of someone seeing?
00:22:04Part of the problem so far for Michael Stewart is I think he landed some right hands very early in this fight
00:22:10and felt that was going to be the punch that would work for him.
00:22:14And he's been a little right hand happy when in reality, his game is those double left hooks,
00:22:18and he should be stepping to his left and throwing that punch, and he's really not doing it.
00:22:22There it is.
00:22:24And Mitchell's speed really coming to the fore now.
00:22:27Right hand, Manning up stairs by Mike Stewart that backs Shonday Mitchell up.
00:22:32Oh, Mitchell, you're holding me, too!
00:22:34Wait!
00:22:37Mitchell's punches, though, seem to be more precise, more accurate.
00:22:39They're beginning to connect, land more.
00:22:42Now he pulls his way in, a la Mike Stewart, and goes for the body.
00:22:46Shonday Mitchell with a good left hand, and now he is scoring at will.
00:22:53Oh, Mitchell.
00:22:56Stewart in a bad place, up against the ropes, off the body attack by Shonday Mitchell.
00:23:03It's the combination punching for Mitchell that is so excellent.
00:23:07Stewart, I think, thought he was going to be able to counterpunch from there,
00:23:09couldn't do it.
00:23:10Couldn't do it.
00:23:10Thank you, though.
00:23:15How you doing, Dave?
00:23:17Thank you, Dave.
00:23:17Good morning.
00:23:17This might be incredible.
00:23:18The honest offer, me right?
00:23:20All right.
00:23:20You got to keep ready, but we're going to lift those arms together.
00:23:23All right.
00:23:24All right.
00:23:25Good night.
00:23:26Thank you, Dave.
00:23:26Come on.
00:23:27Come on.
00:23:28Good night.
00:23:29Come on.
00:23:29Come on.
00:23:29There he is.
00:23:30There he is.
00:23:31Come on.
00:23:31Come on.
00:23:32He's coming on.
00:23:33Come on.
00:23:34Come on.
00:23:34I can't.
00:23:34I can't do it.
00:23:36Come on.
00:23:36I can't do it.
00:23:37when charmay mitchell starts to throw combinations like this he's a very tough man to deal with it
00:23:43all starts with the jab and as mike stewart then backs up it's uh it's a good effort by
00:23:51mitchell to land those combinations here's the jab it's so so effective for him early in this
00:23:57fight and here's where mitch uh stewart ended up almost going out of the ring and literally
00:24:03partially going out of the ring and that is an indication of the foot speed of mitchell that had to be a great close-up shot for a showtime photographer top to south
00:24:14just off to the right of the screen round four scheduled for 12. stewart's only lost in 38 fights february 02 a split decision to speedy veteran doran spivey he's got another speedy veteran in front of him tonight
00:24:29mitchell was all over stewart at the end of the third round and he's getting back down
00:24:38two three four five six seven ten
00:24:46stewart down for the first time in his career by his account
00:24:50mitchell has never been down he did receive one standing eight back in 2000
00:24:57i believe that was uh warning for low blows uh given by the referee
00:25:09he and john lewis cautioning mitchell who just landed with a right uppercut
00:25:16and looking to end matters here in the fourth
00:25:18a very aggressive display by shambay mitchell
00:25:24battering stewart all around
00:25:29he's using every single kind of punch you can use
00:25:36the straight left hand uppercuts right hooks you name it
00:25:38shambay mitchell's throwing it and throwing it very outward
00:25:40we are seeing mitchell's entire repertoire here
00:25:43he's just emptying it out and a big right hand to the head
00:25:47a right hook by shambay mitchell
00:25:50which is something you don't see him often throw
00:25:53usually left hands or combinations or jazz
00:25:56you know the interesting thing is
00:26:00he's landed some big punches but it didn't hurt Mitchell
00:26:02and it did this time though
00:26:03he got Mitchell's attention with that query
00:26:07he continues to kick to the wrist with left hands
00:26:12beautiful rebounding here on the fourth round by
00:26:15mike stewart was still a minute remaining
00:26:18he was on the verge of going out with stewart
00:26:20and that's not to say he still won't but
00:26:22that left hook helped him get back in the fight
00:26:25so some good ebb and flow here in the fourth
00:26:29now mitchell coming back
00:26:32stewart swinging wildly and missing
00:26:37stewart had landed some big power shots
00:26:39but not hurt mitchell
00:26:40that hook was the first one that really stunned it
00:26:43which also speaks to the fact that the hook should be
00:26:46the power punch he's looking for not so much the right hand
00:26:49the right hand
00:26:51michael stewart
00:26:52making a point that he did not come here to be a mere opponent
00:26:56holding his own against a terrific slick fighter
00:27:04Sean Bay Mitchell
00:27:05and of course Mitchell still won the fourth round and won it big
00:27:08and it was a knockdown round but otherwise if not for that left hook
00:27:12and a little flurry stewart might be gone right now
00:27:15and stewart showing that he can bounce back with terrific results
00:27:19good shot
00:27:21come for it Bob
00:27:23so mike stewart after going down coming back and doing well
00:27:28although it was a big round for mitchell
00:27:35sometimes people think Sean Bay Mitchell's not a fighter that has power
00:27:45well he does and there was a tremendous straight left hand
00:27:49followed by yet another and it sent mike stewart down
00:27:52and as you point out the only time he's been down though he had a standing eight count
00:27:56and then here's where a low blow he's got a right on the belt line
00:28:00got a pretty decisive warning from the referee
00:28:03that did not look intentional by Sean Bay Mitchell
00:28:06here's where stewart was able to land
00:28:09he landed a left hook just before this
00:28:11look at the body shot by stewart
00:28:13he's a good body puncher
00:28:15and that might have been one of his best punches of the fight
00:28:17there again this was after he had already turned things around in that round a little bit
00:28:21so this has been a very entertaining though one-sided fight
00:28:25a very exciting fourth round after stewart was on the canvas
00:28:29Britt Reid came back and it's very impressive in the final minute or so of the round
00:28:35now round five scheduled for twelve
00:28:38that's for the interim IBF junior welterweight title
00:28:41Sean Bay Mitchell in the black
00:28:43Mike Stewart in the white
00:28:45Mitchell from Washington D.C. Stuart from Delaware
00:28:48born in Tennessee
00:28:54and Stuart giving a very fine account of himself
00:28:59in very difficult conditions
00:29:07Brad was cheering Mitchell when he walked into the ring
00:29:09but they've now gotten behind Mike Stewart the underdog
00:29:12Stewart continues to chase Mitchell around
00:29:22tough target
00:29:24Stewart basically right there for Sean Bay
00:29:30against Stewart trying to go to that body
00:29:34and that has been his most effective weapon the body punch
00:29:40we saw those two left hooks he dug to the side of Mitchell
00:29:44he's just an excellent body puncher
00:29:46but Sherman Mitchell is a durable durable fighter
00:29:49with the exception of his knee problem
00:29:51which of course led to his mostly losing the cost of the zoo
00:29:54he is just a very durable fighter with a very good chin
00:29:58and he's tough to hurt to the body or the head
00:30:00Mitchell's had recurring knee problems
00:30:02the left knee has been the big factor
00:30:04the original injury actually took place prior to his title fight
00:30:08in the Paris with Khaled Rahe Lou back in 98
00:30:12a torn collateral in which the scar is still quite visible on the left knee
00:30:16and even if you ask Mitchell is it a hundred percent
00:30:20he'll never say that he always said well it's okay
00:30:22it's good but you know it's always going to be a little bit of a problem
00:30:29in this round Stewart has been powered like that
00:30:32but he's gotten a little more done
00:30:34both with to the body and the head
00:30:40and really in the middle of the last round
00:30:42it looked like there was no way
00:30:44there was no way
00:30:46there it goes down for the second time Stewart
00:30:48two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight
00:30:56again Stewart up very quickly
00:30:58he's got 23 seconds to get through round five
00:31:00down for the second time
00:31:02never down before this fight
00:31:04good left hand straight left hand by Shambay Mitchell to the nose of Stewart
00:31:16there's another left hand by Shambay Mitchell
00:31:20there's another right
00:31:26and I couldn't have it
00:31:27and I couldn't have it
00:31:29something like that
00:31:30beautiful
00:31:31and I couldn't have it
00:31:32that's what I said
00:31:33no one second
00:31:34yeah I'm going to stop it
00:31:35and keep doing a little
00:31:36freaking like that man
00:31:37if you're not gonna fire back
00:31:38all right
00:31:39I'm gonna give you one more time
00:31:40baby
00:31:41You know, he doesn't lift him down on that kid.
00:31:44He's like, okay.
00:31:47Charmbeau Mitchell's left hand has been very effective and powerful.
00:31:51And, of course, it always starts with a jab that freezes Stewart,
00:31:55as it did there.
00:31:56And the left hand sends him down.
00:32:00Stewart has had defensive issues before,
00:32:03though he's keeping his hands pretty high when he tries to throw the hook.
00:32:05He is countered with the straight left hand by Charmbeau Mitchell.
00:32:09And he shows that he is a fighter that has some power.
00:32:15Even the jab that doesn't land will help you land another punch.
00:32:20And that is a perfect example.
00:32:22That jab helped land the straight left.
00:32:24What a short, compact, frisk punch by Charmbeau Mitchell.
00:32:30And Stewart going down in very awkward fashion.
00:32:34As soon as he sat down on his stool, he said to Leon Tabs,
00:32:37don't stop it.
00:32:37And Tabs says, I will if you don't fire back.
00:32:42But we'll see what transpires from this point on.
00:32:45Round six, general for 12.
00:32:48And Stewart has already been on the canvas two times.
00:32:52And with those two knockdowns,
00:32:57the fact that it's conceivable most every round has gone to Mitchell,
00:33:01Stewart is in a terrible predicament
00:33:04and if this fight would go the distance, which, you know,
00:33:06the way he's being hurt, you have to wonder if it will.
00:33:08Last two rounds, 10-8 rounds for Charmbeau Mitchell.
00:33:14Take a look at the press row scoring.
00:33:16It's all Charmbeau Mitchell.
00:33:19Abrams from Boxing News.
00:33:21Campbell from IrishBoxing.com.
00:33:23Lewis from the Times.
00:33:23And the daunting task here for Stewart is that he's hit Charmbeau Mitchell
00:33:31with some pretty big punches.
00:33:32Only one at an impact, that left hook in the last round.
00:33:35But the other times he's hit him with some pretty good power punches.
00:33:38Mitchell has not been fazed.
00:33:40And the frustration factor has to be entering into the head.
00:33:44Stewart has just ate a beautiful right jab.
00:33:47They took this fight, the Mitchell people did,
00:33:51feeling that this would give them in some approximation
00:33:54what they would face against Ricky Hatton.
00:33:56Of course, the fact is Stewart's a little more upright,
00:33:59he has more defensive problems than Hatton,
00:34:01at least the current version of Ricky Hatton,
00:34:03but his style is somewhat similar.
00:34:05And they wanted to demonstrate
00:34:07and also get some good experience
00:34:09against what they felt was a similar style
00:34:11and demonstrate that they could handle it.
00:34:12Certainly Mitchell is no different from all other fighters.
00:34:15who could use a little dose of confidence
00:34:17after a questionable victory.
00:34:21And he had had a series of very good fights,
00:34:23including the fantastic fight that we showed here at Showtime.
00:34:26He had some great fights leading up to the Lovemore and the Dew bout.
00:34:30And, you know, it was understandable
00:34:31that the Zoo fight was canceled,
00:34:33that mentally he might not have been as into that fight as he would like.
00:34:37He had five tremendous fights before the new fight.
00:34:41So many distractions going in the new fight.
00:34:43As you point out, the Kostya Zoo pull out, the letdown there.
00:34:49Playoff going into that fight with many changes in opposition,
00:34:53leading to the mysterious switch hitting Nadu.
00:34:57And in the middle of everything, his grandmother's passing away.
00:35:00So a lot of stuff going on prior to that fight.
00:35:02It may have contributed to the closeness of it,
00:35:05even though some of the judges saw it differently.
00:35:07This has been a very consistent effort by Mitchell.
00:35:09And in the face of Michael Stewart,
00:35:11who has done some good things in this fight,
00:35:13he's just fighting a fighter with superior ability right now.
00:35:17But he's a tough, pretty competitor.
00:35:21We'll hang in there.
00:35:22We'll hang in there for six.
00:35:36Earlier tonight, the arrivals of Ricky Hatton and Dennis Pedersen.
00:35:40Hatton on the left, Pedersen on the right.
00:35:41Hatton thought he was going to fight tall Brazilian slugger Kelsen Pinto,
00:35:45who pulled out instead his late replacement, Dennis Pedersen of Denmark.
00:35:50This is probably the last thing Pedersen thought he'd been doing tonight
00:35:53as he enters the lion's den in Manchester to face the always tenacious hitman.
00:36:07Come on.
00:36:12Mike.
00:36:12Take it.
00:36:13Take it.
00:36:25Get it.
00:36:26Count seven.
00:36:26As Stewart comes out to face the awkward, difficult-to-counter,
00:36:30hard-to-hit cleanly, so sharp defensively, Shambaai Mitchell.
00:36:35That was a nice description of him.
00:36:36You know what?
00:36:37He will love you for that description.
00:36:39If I ever emcee his roast, I'm ready.
00:36:42you've got your material or toast or his toast you know here we are in round seven and uh stewart
00:36:49has fought in spots well in this fight but nevertheless he's been down twice and he's
00:36:56having a very difficult time dealing with the hand speed of charmeday mitchell so you say
00:37:00to yourself what can he do the best thing you can try to do is get on the inside push him
00:37:05against turn this into some kind of brawl where perhaps you can make something happen his problem
00:37:10in that regard even if he could do it is mitchell has shown as much power or more certainly than he
00:37:16has in this fight so when he throws those punches against mitchell when he's got him on the road
00:37:21leaves himself open for connor johnson well in 56 pro fights only three men have been able to diffuse
00:37:27the quickness and speed of shambay mitchell two of them were back to back in 94 and ivander johnson and
00:37:33of course the loss to pastor zoo in 01 that was a tko by seven you know just a moment ago stewart
00:37:43got mitchell against her and ripped just a hellacious left hook to the body and it landed perfectly and
00:37:49mitchell was able to just motor out of there so stewart's doing his best it's just really not good
00:37:55enough right now and mitchell displaying all the skills that we're used to seeing from him when he's
00:38:01at the top of his game mike stewart seeing what it is like to step up to the next level he clipped
00:38:07over the left cuff to store
00:38:12is shambay mitchell taking some time off in this round just kind of re-energizing himself that's
00:38:18conceivable it's been a better round for stewart than he's had certainly and there's that wicked
00:38:25jab the right jab by shambay mitchell getting into the eye area of stewart
00:38:36swelling the cut under the left eye of stewart holding up
00:38:40not a factor in this round mitchell has not thrown the jab as much as an early round but you can really
00:38:48trace right back to that the fact that this hasn't been uh as good as all those around for mitchell
00:38:54but there you see when he does throw the jab he's very effective and he's targeting
00:39:00that swelled area the swollen area underneath the the left eye of mike stewart starting to puff up a
00:39:07little bit more now just in the last minute
00:39:09but still the eye seems to be all right he can see through it just fine
00:39:20it's not close on seven oh
00:39:31Look at the back of him dude.
00:39:38I'm gonna pull up his hand.
00:39:41You're not close enough.
00:39:43You gotta be closer to hitting with the right hand.
00:39:46So once the right hand is thrown at the chest not at the head,
00:39:49he's good at the head.
00:39:51You're not close enough.
00:39:52You gotta be close enough to hitting with the right hand.
00:39:56You gotta be close to hitting with the right hand.
00:39:58He wants the right hand thrown at the chest, not at the head.
00:40:01He's getting under it.
00:40:02Let him duck him to the shot, okay?
00:40:07Come on, man.
00:40:09We lose in the fight, man.
00:40:11Okay?
00:40:12We'll come all this way to do.
00:40:13This is your big shot.
00:40:14Come on, Tav.
00:40:18Just in case you didn't hear me, maybe you didn't.
00:40:21Leon Tav saying to Mike Stewart, who we didn't come all this way to lose.
00:40:25This is your big shot.
00:40:27Almost like right out of a movie, and Mike Stewart, who refers to himself as a real-life Rocky in this set of circumstances, comes out for round eight.
00:40:37You know, Stewart has only faced one softball before in his professional career.
00:40:42I don't know that that's the issue tonight.
00:40:44He's sparred with a lot of lefties getting ready for this, and it's not that he's fought such an inappropriate fight from a technique standpoint.
00:40:50It's really been more the skill level of Mitchell that's been the problem.
00:40:53Got a glimpse of Marvin Sims in the corner of Shambay Mitchell with Mitchell since he started boxing at the age of eight.
00:41:04So if anybody knows Shambay Mitchell, it's Marvin Sims, briefly-trained former middleweight champ William Joppy.
00:41:13The Bullseys didn't go, he said go.
00:41:16Well, a lot of folks maybe thought this wouldn't go this deep.
00:41:19Press road score.
00:41:22Nobody surprised.
00:41:28Well, Shambay Mitchell, five-pick scores.
00:41:33I have a 69-62 for Mitchell, so I agree with one of those cards.
00:41:39Stewart has never been 12 rounds, so he'll be heading into some tough territory.
00:41:50Yeah, never past 10.
00:41:51This is now round eight.
00:41:54Yeah, he's been to the top of all TKO wins inside eight rounds, but never, you're right, the decision all the way, 12.
00:42:01He's been 10 rounds, seven times, seven for seven.
00:42:15But this is a little beyond Mitchell's average, which is 5.9 rounds per fight.
00:42:23We are just spewing out the stats.
00:42:26Well, they're pertinent.
00:42:26This fight has settled in a little bit, and you wonder, it's interesting from Mitchell's standpoint.
00:42:34You know, he obviously was able to hurt Stewart with the straight left hand, and there's another one.
00:42:40And it's not as if he's not drawing that much, but he just hasn't been able to land it perfectly.
00:42:44Stewart down, rounds four and five.
00:42:51And never been down before, but just joining us, before this fight.
00:42:56Mitchell, wanting to end the fight on one punch there, with the left hand.
00:43:03We approach 20 seconds remaining round eight, scheduled for 12, for the interim IBF 140-pound belt,
00:43:11hold by Shambay Mitchell.
00:43:14It's a beautiful double left took on the inside.
00:43:16When he's on the inside, look at the work Stewart can do, but Mitchell impervious to him.
00:43:20Come on, get it down!
00:43:22Get it down!
00:43:23Get it down!
00:43:24Mitchell, very awesome.
00:43:25Nailed him with a straight left at the belt.
00:43:27Right on the head.
00:43:29Mike, you're throwing one or two shots and bouncing back from the man.
00:43:35You can't win the fight if he had a hand blade across the lid.
00:43:38You can't win the fight if he had a hand blade across the lid.
00:43:39You've got to, you've got to, you've got to, you've got to stay close.
00:43:44Don't win it one punch, man.
00:43:46You can't win the fight for one punch.
00:43:49You can't win the fight for one punch.
00:43:51Don't do that.
00:43:52Come on, keep punching for as long as you see him, Mike.
00:43:54We're running out of time, Mike.
00:43:55This is a nice round, Jim.
00:43:57You're way behind, Mike.
00:44:00Can you slide his detector a bit, lads?
00:44:02Just slide it.
00:44:06Here is Stuart, for some reason, kind of showboating a little bit.
00:44:10I don't know what that was about, because, and really, Leon Tab's kind of referencing that
00:44:15to Stuart, saying, look, your mission here is to be the aggressor, try and work him over
00:44:20on the inside.
00:44:21And that's been part of the problem, why he can't.
00:44:24The hand speed and combination crunching of Mitchell.
00:44:27I think that was more frustration on his part.
00:44:29Leon Tab's saying, you've got to go after this man.
00:44:31Don't bounce back.
00:44:32Keep punching.
00:44:33Throw more than one punch.
00:44:34One punch isn't going to do it.
00:44:36We didn't come halfway around the world to lose, by the words in the corner.
00:44:45Right now, Mike Stewart needs something dramatic to turn this thing around.
00:44:50Because he is way behind on the cut.
00:44:53No, they have a common opponent to Toronto, a lot of former champions.
00:44:56But even though they both knocked him out in one round, Mitchell did it back in 95.
00:45:01And it was much later in the last year when Stuart did it.
00:45:06And it was a much different to Ron Millett, who obviously had slipped back considerably.
00:45:11Same thing with former world title challenger Ivan Robinson.
00:45:14Stuart looking impressive there, but Ivan certainly not in his prime of time.
00:45:18Stuart has won seven in a row since his only loss.
00:45:28It's a split decision.
00:45:30As mentioned to Doran Spivey in Philly back in February of 2002.
00:45:37But on the verge of defeat here, unless he can come up with something very soon.
00:45:47Mitchell is letting Stuart in a little bit more now, but Stuart hasn't really been able to get as much done as he would like.
00:46:02Still a jabs and a counter punch for Mitchell, controlling this round.
00:46:06The right jab has been able to land almost all the time when Mitchell throws it.
00:46:15And that's probably the one big chink in Stuart's armor that he can be hit up the middle with jabs and straight left hands or right hands if you're righting.
00:46:24Under a minute remaining round nine.
00:46:40Stuart hanging around.
00:46:41Right now Mitchell is letting him do that.
00:46:44And you know the problem for Stuart is he's getting in some pretty good shots to the body.
00:46:50But we're at a point in a fight where those body shots are probably not going to make the difference.
00:46:56And certainly not going to, I'm sure, create a knockout.
00:46:59So his problem is he can't really hit Mitchell to the head like he would like.
00:47:03Nice left hand, two, double.
00:47:05Now going to Stuart for the third time of the fight.
00:47:09Beautiful combination.
00:47:11Five, six, seven, eight.
00:47:15He got up quickly for the third time.
00:47:18What's up?
00:47:19Those were like body shots by Shabe Mitchell.
00:47:22Very powerful.
00:47:23And now he wants to end it here in the middle.
00:47:25And there's the bell.
00:47:27And Stuart really frustrated with himself.
00:47:30Really upset with himself.
00:47:32Hands up.
00:47:33I'm telling you, keep your hands up.
00:47:35You can't win the fight with your hands down.
00:47:37You can't handle everything you're going to throw.
00:47:39What is his problem, man?
00:47:41You've got only two laps to go, Mike.
00:47:48Well, we've seen this before in this fight.
00:47:50So unfortunately for him has Mike Stewart.
00:47:52The jab and the straight left hand.
00:47:54You see the frustration on his part, saying, oh, again, I'd let him get me with that jab and the straight left.
00:47:59And it's the hand speed of Mitchell.
00:48:01And when he does this, when Charmbe Mitchell establishes the jab as he's done and comes with that quick left hand, very difficult to stop it.
00:48:11A series of body shots followed by one right on the button.
00:48:16And, of course, as I said before this fight, up the middle is where Mitchell would have his best success.
00:48:23And he's been able to do that with the jab and the straight left.
00:48:26So Stewart now rounds four, five, and now nine as we hit round 10, scheduled for 12.
00:48:32As mentioned earlier, in case you're just joining us, Stewart had never been down before in 38 pro fights.
00:48:39Down three times at the hands of Charmbe.
00:48:42I'm sure Charmbe is feeling a great deal of satisfaction about this performance as well he should.
00:48:52Not only has he been sharp in terms of boxing, he's shown power.
00:48:57And has, I think, made a little bit of a statement that the love more to do about, which he did win, there's no question about that.
00:49:05Even though it wasn't, he called it a horrible performance, that that fight was an aberration.
00:49:10And that for anyone thinking that Charmbe Mitchell somehow was on the decline, he's indicating that's not the case tonight.
00:49:17You know, Steve, if there's a message here that's being sent vis-a-vis Mitchell to the Hatton people, even though they may say, well, our guy's quicker and
00:49:24you know, Steve, if there's a message here that's being sent vis-a-vis Mitchell to the Hatton people, even though they may say, well, our guy's quicker and
00:49:34throws those left hooks a little better and he does a few things differently than Mike Stewart, which may well be the case, they're making, Mitchell is making the point that if you come in to attack me, even if you hit me with some left hooks to the body and I'm not going to fold, you better double with that and you better hit me with some left hooks to the body and I'm not going to fold.
00:49:50You better double with that and you better hit me very hard to the head because I can take some shots and meanwhile I'm going to be peppering you straight down the middle.
00:50:10They're going to take note of that or they should.
00:50:14And Ricky Hatton is a consummate preparer.
00:50:17He studies the tapes, he watches everything.
00:50:19Yes, he does.
00:50:20He doesn't let anything slip by him.
00:50:23In preparation for a fight, so he'll notice everything about Shambay Mitchell.
00:50:27There is a proposed get-together between Hatton and Mitchell of June 5th, but they haven't signed the papers yet.
00:50:36Of course, we have to get past this night first.
00:50:39And while Mitchell is well a long way of doing it, of course Hatton will try and beat Dennis Pedersen following this.
00:50:46And if that's the case, we may well see the bout between those two.
00:50:51Of course, the bout that Mitchell really wanted was the rematch with Kostya Zhu and he's all but given up on that.
00:50:58He thinks Zhu is finished, done, coming off the shoulder surgery problem.
00:51:02And he legitimately feels, genuinely feels that Zhu does not want to get in there with him.
00:51:10And that remains to be seen.
00:51:12We have no word from Zhu yet.
00:51:14When he did, he said he was going to fight Mitchell, so we'll see how it flies.
00:51:18But if there is a Mitchell-Hatton fight, it would be very entertaining.
00:51:22And this fight kind of proves that in a way, strangely, because when Stuart has done some things like Hatton,
00:51:28he's been a little bit effective and it's been a good matchup.
00:51:32Right there.
00:51:34Well, well worked, man.
00:51:38Well, well.
00:51:40Look at you do it.
00:51:42Look at you do it.
00:51:44Look at you do it.
00:51:46Look at you do it.
00:51:48How are you doing?
00:51:50How are you doing?
00:51:52How are you doing?
00:51:54You throw one shot to it.
00:51:56It's somebody to step back to seem to result.
00:51:58That when he's standing up, you've got to get results.
00:52:06You've got to put a right hand off his jab.
00:52:10You've got to put a right hand on his jab.
00:52:12You're left hook.
00:52:16Right hand т.jeck right hook.
00:52:18Right hand.
00:52:19You've got it good.
00:52:20You've got it good.
00:52:21Chef touch.
00:52:22Well, three knockdowns of Michael Stewart, 10 rounds later, here we go, round 11.
00:52:31And as we noted earlier, Michael Stewart has never seen the 11th round, so he is in uncharted territory.
00:52:41They fight that as being dominated by the left-hander, Sean Bay Mitchell,
00:52:46who started boxing back in 1988, so it's his 17th year.
00:52:51In the sport.
00:52:54And he was quite candid with us, you know, while he has zeal for the sport.
00:52:59We even asked him if he'd seen Stewart, he said,
00:53:02I don't really watch that much boxing when I'm not doing it.
00:53:05Unlike Stewart, who said there can't be enough boxing on TV.
00:53:08He's a huge fan.
00:53:09Now, Sean Bay Mitchell is really at that point in life where he's trying to put a cap around his career in the right way,
00:53:15but it's a business.
00:53:17Mitchell has other interests as well.
00:53:23He's an entrepreneur.
00:53:24He's involved in the music business.
00:53:27I think he's an agent for certain people in the music business.
00:53:31And also very much a fan of the sport of hoops basketball.
00:53:36Yeah.
00:53:37He's only a year and a half away from getting his bachelor's degree from Maryland University.
00:53:40So he's an eclectic guy with a lot of interest.
00:53:43And his danger, of course, is to make sure that he's as focused on boxing as he needs to be during this latter part of his career.
00:53:50So far tonight, we're seeing a lot of focus.
00:53:52He's a good friend of Steve Francis, Houston Rockets.
00:53:54They went to college together.
00:53:55So we continue in round 11 for the interim IBF championship.
00:54:11We said there was satisfaction on the part of Sean Bay Mitchell, even though I know it's not what he wanted.
00:54:17Michael Stewart will get high marks for grittiness and determination hanging in there after three knockdowns.
00:54:24And I know he would, at the very least, like to make sure he goes the distance in this one.
00:54:29Under a minute, round 11.
00:54:33In case you're wondering exactly what the term interim title means, well, it could be interpreted a couple of ways.
00:54:39For the sanctioning body, in this case the IBF, it's for an interim title.
00:54:44If the reigning world champion isn't able to fight for a long period of time, given somebody else a chance to become champion.
00:54:52Kashi Zou hasn't fought in over a year.
00:54:54He'll be out almost 18 months before he can get back in the ring again.
00:54:57So that's the reason, they say.
00:54:59But to the cynic, it could mean the boxing organization is looking for more sanctioning fees.
00:55:05So it conveniently created an interim title.
00:55:08You know, Stewart, inside, still whacking the body of Sean Bay Mitchell.
00:55:13And, you know, no matter what, Mitchell, of course, a terrifically conditioned athlete,
00:55:17he's going to be sore around the ribs even after having won a lopsided victory and scoring three knockdowns.
00:55:24Well, according to his promoter manager, Gary Shaw, Sean Bay will be happy to know he'll have at least a week to recover before the next fight.
00:55:31Yeah, exactly.
00:55:32That ought to be.
00:55:33I was going to tell.
00:55:34I was going to tell.
00:55:35I was going to tell.
00:55:36I was going to tell.
00:55:37On the floor.
00:55:38I'm going to tell.
00:55:39No curling stuff.
00:55:40He's coming out.
00:55:41He's coming out.
00:55:42He's coming out.
00:55:43He's coming out.
00:55:44We're winging.
00:55:45All right?
00:55:46Keep your hand.
00:55:47You're missing it.
00:55:48You're having to win it yet.
00:55:49Okay?
00:55:50Okay?
00:55:51You're right here.
00:55:52You're right here.
00:55:53You're right.
00:55:54You're right.
00:55:55Once you miss one shot, you don't do it anymore.
00:55:57Snow shine.
00:55:58Two stops.
00:55:59Interesting fight in one sense, a lopsided situation for the man on the left, Sean Bay Mitchell.
00:56:06But for the man on the right, Stewart, nothing to really be ashamed of.
00:56:11He's a 26-year-old who is facing, Sean Bay Mitchell is fighting as well as he can fight right now.
00:56:17Stewart's hanging in there.
00:56:19But the level, the skill level difference between these two fighters is very apparent.
00:56:24And it's demonstrating why Mitchell is an upper echelon junior welterweight.
00:56:27And Stewart is more of a crazy top ten contender.
00:56:32What's the old expression?
00:56:33Welcome to the show.
00:56:35Michael Stewart in the show against Sean Bay Mitchell.
00:56:3812th and final.
00:56:39They touch gloves.
00:56:40Here we go.
00:56:41Nice round of applause and appreciation by the fans congregating here at the Manchester Evening News Arena.
00:56:48The MEN, as it's fondly called, and bracing for the big main event, featuring their hero, Ricky Hatton.
00:56:57And they're getting a look at Sean Bay Mitchell, who they think might be facing Ricky Hatton possibly as early as June.
00:57:05And I'm sure they're scouting, looking at him and saying, okay, let's think now how he might do against Hatton.
00:57:11And, you know, part of the issue is we know that Stewart kind of stepped up in class.
00:57:15And while Hatton has fought Ben Tacky, he was supposed to fight tonight, Kelsen Pinto, a much better fighter, not doing that in Pedersen.
00:57:22The question is, will he be able to step up against Sean Bay Mitchell?
00:57:26That'll be the questions he has to answer.
00:57:28And as Mitchell got a very warm greeting and round of applause upon his entrance into the arena tonight,
00:57:34it will certainly be a different story if he meets Ricky Hatton June 5th.
00:57:43Here's the jab of Mitchell again.
00:57:45That's been a punch that has helped him control this fight.
00:57:48That in the straight left hand, it's helped him create three knockdowns in rounds four, five, and nine.
00:57:54A slip.
00:58:01He's always worried with Mitchell when there's a slip or something untoward
00:58:04that those knee issues might flare up again.
00:58:09Come on, baby.
00:58:11In the...
00:58:16As we approach the final middle of the final round,
00:58:19our co-feature from Manchester, Mitchell really like scoring hits.
00:58:24Lefts and rights, downstairs and upstairs, showing his speed, quickness.
00:58:32In the late going, showing he's in very good condition.
00:58:36He's had Stewart down on three occasions in this fight.
00:58:41Last time was round nine.
00:58:45And, you know, the Sherman Mitchell we've seen recently puts to rest the idea that somehow he's a spoiler-type fighter
00:58:55who moves and is so slick that he can't make interesting fights.
00:58:58People sometimes said that about Sherman Mitchell.
00:59:00But especially here in his almost mid-30s, there's movement, but there's also enough power punching.
00:59:08There's enough exchanges, enough battling on the inside to make it interesting.
00:59:12Final ten seconds.
00:59:16And this was certainly not in doubt.
00:59:22That was an effort that he will not label horrible afterwards, and no one else should either.
00:59:47Yeah, that was his old word description of his last outing against the Love Warner News.
00:59:51Certainly a different story here tonight against Mike Stewart.
00:59:56In the last round of the fight, a moment that probably causes his people to have their hearts go up into their throats.
01:00:10And that's the slip by Sherman Mitchell, and that was a very awkward slip.
01:00:14And because of his knee issues that we've chronicled, you always are concerned about that creating an injury.
01:00:22And this really was an awkward slip.
01:00:24And hit with the right hand as he's going down by Michael Stewart as well.
01:00:28We saw this in the Nadeau fight as well a couple of months ago, and he bounced back up from that one too.
01:00:34Seems to be very spry.
01:00:37Sometimes you really think that this guy has discovered the fountain of youth.
01:00:43...of excellent fights after the Zoo fight.
01:00:46Then he won the Nadeau fight.
01:00:48We need to not overemphasize that he didn't fight well because he did win it, but it just wasn't a great effort.
01:00:55And so everything he's done in the last couple of years except for that one fight has really been excellent and very important, I think, for him to make this statement tonight.
01:01:04He did.
01:01:08So we will be set for the official numbers as we get it up to our ring announcer Jimmy Lennon Jr.
01:01:17Ladies and gentlemen, after 12 rounds of action, we go to the scorecards.
01:01:22We have a unanimous decision here.
01:01:25The score totals.
01:01:26Judge at ringside Dave Paris scores about 117 to 109.
01:01:33Judge at ringside Roy Francis sees it 120 to 106.
01:01:38And Howard Foster scores about 120 to 105.
01:01:43All three in favor of the winner and still champion the living man Sean Bay Mitchell.
01:01:55So Sean Bay Mitchell makes the first successful defense of his interim title.
01:02:00Impressive performance.
01:02:01He's in his record to 54-3.
01:02:047-0 since the loss to Zoo.
01:02:08Meanwhile, Michael Stewart suffers only his second defeat now, 35-2-2.
01:02:14A successful British debut for the little big man.
01:02:17And we'll see if this indeed sets up a showdown with Ricky Hatton should the hitman cooperate in the main event.
01:02:28There was power from Sean Bay Mitchell.
01:02:31It started in round four where he would, for the first time in this matchup, send Michael Stewart down.
01:02:39It would be using the jab and the left half uppercut, half straight left, and then another straight left.
01:02:47And that would become a running theme in this fight because that is exactly how he would create other knockdowns.
01:02:54Here in round five, almost the same scenario.
01:02:57It would be the jab, setting things up, and then the straight left hand comes behind him.
01:03:02And that, of course, was the one area that Stewart seemed most vulnerable to, the straight punches by Sean Bay Mitchell.
01:03:08And that was exactly, as it turns out, what helped him create knockdowns.
01:03:13And have you seen this before?
01:03:15Well, take a look again.
01:03:17Because in round nine, the exact same thing.
01:03:20A jab and a straight left hand sent Stewart down.
01:03:23And those were different knockdowns, folks, not the same ones.
01:03:27Well, after this, Mitchell said his goals are one more belt and three more fights to get it to 60 overall.
01:03:37That remains to be seen.
01:03:41But a no doubt about it performance tonight by 16 plus year veteran, former WBA super lightweight champion, Sean Bay Mitchell.
01:03:51Mitchell being interviewed by Sky TV here.
01:03:55He'll be with us momentarily alongside the promoters Gary Shaw and Frank DeWarren.
01:04:01Up next from Manchester, England, our main event, the People's Choice.
01:04:06Ricky Hatton having to switch gears at the last minute when Kelsen Pinto canceled out.
01:04:10Instead, Hatton meets Dennis Pedersen of Denmark.
01:04:14But first, post-fight reaction with Steve Farwood.
01:04:18Thanks, Steve.
01:04:19Sean Bay, it looked like you were just doing what you wanted in there.
01:04:22Is that accurate?
01:04:23First of all, I want to thank God, the man upstairs, for getting me through my training camp safe and getting me here safe in England.
01:04:29I love England.
01:04:31I went in there and I did what I wanted to do.
01:04:33That's come back here, show the fans, show my gracious and lovable commentators here on Showtime that I'm not gone anywhere.
01:04:43Mentally, I wasn't there in Indu.
01:04:45Here, you can see a whole different Sean Bay Mitchell.
01:04:49And, man, I just want to thank everybody, man.
01:04:52My corporation, helping our brothers out, sportswear hobo, that's what this thing stands for.
01:04:59Sean Bay, was it frustrating at all or annoying at all that you put him down three times but you couldn't keep him down?
01:05:04No, I just wanted to feel as though that I could do that.
01:05:07And I'm going to take my time.
01:05:09I'm not going to rush in there and just rush into anything because he was the kind of fighter that could just wing up and throw anything.
01:05:15I'm too smart for that.
01:05:16I'm just too experienced to just go rush in there.
01:05:18Anybody else probably would have rushed in there thinking that he was really, really hurt and, you know, probably would have got knocked out.
01:05:24But I want to just go in there and execute perfection.
01:05:27If Kostya Du doesn't defend against you by November, you would lose that interim tag and be the regular champ.
01:05:33But clearly, that's not what you're waiting for.
01:05:35You've been so busy.
01:05:36There's another fight.
01:05:37They're talking about Ricky Hatton in June.
01:05:39That's only two months away.
01:05:40Is that comfortable for you?
01:05:41That's what they're talking about.
01:05:43If the money is right, then I'll come over here to England.
01:05:46If the money is short, then come over to the U.S.
01:05:49Really, Ricky Hatton, really show what you really are.
01:05:52Come on over there.
01:05:54I've been overseas.
01:05:55I've taken belts from overseas.
01:05:56I've defended my belt for overseas.
01:05:58Come overseas and come get mines from my hometown and then come back over here and maybe we can do a rematch if you can get away.
01:06:05But I doubt if that happened.
01:06:06I'm the best at this 140 pounds, man.
01:06:08Nothing can stop me right now.
01:06:11I'm going to execute what I really want to do with my career and get out of it as a world champion.
01:06:17And how tough a challenge has Ricky Hatton?
01:06:20According to PMG and Gary Shaw, I don't see where he's, you know, much of a fighter that I just fought.
01:06:31I think that they're pretty much the same, except Ricky probably throw just a little bit more punches than he does.
01:06:36Sean Bae, congratulations.
01:06:37We look forward to seeing you again.
01:06:38Thanks a lot.
01:06:39Thanks a lot.
01:06:40Okay, Steve.
01:06:41Thanks very much.
01:06:42Right now, let's check out how the scoring went for Mitchell versus Stewart.
01:06:46There you go, Al.
01:06:48Obviously a big win for Mitchell, as it should be.
01:06:51And I'm glad that he thinks of us as lovable commentators.
01:06:53That makes me feel good.
01:06:54I loved it.
01:06:55And we'll take a look at the press row scoring right here.
01:06:58Pretty much the same.
01:07:00A one sided victory.
01:07:02Dominating performance by Sean Bae Mitchell.
01:07:06So as we close in on tonight's main event from Manchester, England, let us see what's coming up in the near future here.
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