20 years ago

Date: 3rd February 2001

Venue: Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA

Title: WBC & WBA World Super-lightweight Titles

Promoted by: Don King Productions

Tv: Showtime

Kostya Tszyu
( 25 - 1 - 0 )
Weight: 139 1/2 lbs

Sharmba Mitchell
( 47 - 2 - 0 )
Weight: 139 3/4 lbs

WBC world super-lightweight champion Kostya Tszyu met his WBA counterpart Sharmba Mitchell in a unification bout at the Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino in Las Vegas. Tszyu entered the ring with a 25-1-0 record and Mitchell's career total was 47-2-0.

Mitchell used his hand-speed and fast footwork to befuddle Tszyu in the early rounds but the transplanted Russian was so much stronger than Mitchell in close and on several occasions threw the Washington man to the floor. In the 4th round referee, Joe Cortez took a p[oint away from Tszyu for "pushing."

In the 7th round, Mitchell came away from one of these wrestling matches limping and could not come out for round 8, leaving Cortez with no choice but to award the Tko victory to Tszyu.