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Mitchell stakes his claim
23:45, Dec 5 2009
Kevin Mitchell dominated Amir Khan's conqueror Breidis Prescott over 12 rounds in Newcastle to send out an emphatic message about his own world title credentials.
Mitchell scored a 119-110, 118-111, 117-111 points win over Prescott, who had hammered Khan to a shocking 54-second defeat in Manchester in September last year in his previous visit to Britain.
The Dagenham 25-year-old, who duly raised his professional ledger to an unblemished 30 wins, is now in line for a world title shot after a fight which served as an eliminator for the WBO lightweight crown.
That this was Mitchell's first fight at the higher weight limit against an opponent to whom he conceded at least four inches spoke volumes for the talent and ambition of the Londoner. And it will undoubtedly raise the prospect of a potential super-fight between Mitchell and Khan somewhere down the road - a fight Mitchell wants badly.
Mitchell started with understandable caution in his first fight at lightweight, standing off the much taller Prescott and going one better than Khan by ending the first round unscathed.
With the Colombian clearly hunting all out for another knockout blow, Mitchell was able to score consistently with counters, and emerged unscathed from Prescott's first two big right hands.
Mitchell, with his unerring accuracy, was making the Colombian look crude, and when Prescott did land, as with an overhand right towards the end of the third, Mitchell remained unflustered. Gaining confidence, Mitchell landed with a fine left early in the fourth, and followed it up with an excellent left hook in what was clearly his best round of the fight at that stage.
Mitchell's increasingly purposeful assaults opened a bad cut in the corner of Prescott's left eye in the fifth, and Mitchell responded a little prematurely by raising an arm in mock victory. Prescott's response was a furious assault which reminded Mitchell of the dangers of losing concentration, but as the fight moved deeper into its second half Prescott looked to be tiring fast.
In the eighth, it was Mitchell again forcing the pace with a big right hand. Prescott's responses lacked bite or accuracy and Mitchell stepped up his advantage with a superb combination against the ropes.
The Londoner was boxing an excellent tactical fight, nevertheless against an opponent who was not living up to his lofty billing as the big-punching conqueror of Khan. Mitchell courted a little too much danger in the 11th, allowing Prescott to connect with a couple of left hands, but Mitchell responded with a right uppercut before sailing home.
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