By Terence Dooley

Tributes to his bravery flew out today after Kevin Mitchell, 31, announced his retirement from boxing.

He retires with a 39-4 (29) record and held the British and Commonwealth Super featherweight belts during his time in the sport. The world title proved elusive, though, as he lost to Michael Katsidis, Ricky Burns, Jorge Linares and Ismail Barroso when going for the WBO (interim versus Katsidis), WBC and WBA interim lightweight titles respectively.

An all or nothing type, Mitchell could box to perfection at times, most notably when defusing Breidis Prescott in 2009. However, he likes to have a fight and his battles with Carl Johanneson (W TKO 9), John Murray (W TKO 8) and Jorge Linares (L TKO 10 after being cut and floored) earned him a place in the hearts of many boxing fans.

“I was in the gym training for the Edis Tatli fight and I just didn’t really feel that I have enough to go through the training once again,” said Mitchell when announcing the news. “I’ve been fighting for 22 years, it is a long time to be putting your body through all you have to do to get right for a fight and my body has said ‘enough is enough.’

“I’ve had so many highlights but walking out at The O2 for the Linares fight and hearing the fans cheering for me and seeing ‘Forever Blowing Bubbles’ was just an unbelievable feeling. I’ve always been close to the fight fans both in Britain and around the world, and I want to thank them for all their love and support.

“I like to think I was an exciting fighter that gave the fans value for money. I don’t think they make fighters like me anymore; fighters that put it all on the line every time they fight.”

His fighting heart and boxing nous will be utilised by his former trainer Tony Sims. Mitchell is going to help out around the gym as he bids to break into coaching. “I can’t wait to get my hands dirty working with Tony,” he revealed. “Tony is an amazing man to be around and a bit like me, he’s been through his ups and downs and made a great life. The gym is buzzing with some top talent and I am going to be helping him out and looking to pass on my experience.”

Once promoted by Frank Warren, who delivered two of his title shots, Mitchell moved over to Eddie Hearn and fought for the WBC and WBA belts under him. The head of Matchroom boxing had this to say: “It’s been an absolute pleasure working with Kevin Mitchell over the past few years.”

He added: “The fight against Linares was the stand out for me and without injury I believe Kevin would have become World Champion that night. Kevin has been entirely dedicated to the sport under Tony Sims, my only regret is that we didn’t all team up earlier in his career.

“Kevin is one the biggest and brightest characters in the gym and has already played a huge part in the education and motivation of some of our younger fighters. He has a wonderful boxing brain and I truly believe he can go on to be a great coach if that’s the path he wishes to take. He has been a wonderful servant to British boxing and I’m sure all fight fans will join me in wishing him the best and happiness in his retirement.”

Although his dedication waxed and waned outside the ring at times, no one ever doubted his ability and heart. After finally knuckling down to his trade, Mitchell gave Estrada hell before losing.

For most fans, however, the defining memory of him will be the July 2011 war against John Murray. Mitchell withstood a barrage and suffered a badly swollen ear before turning the tide around to end Murray’s unbeaten streak.

The fight itself was an added bonus following a build-up in which men showed respect and pledged not to trash talk, vowing instead to do their talking in the ring. It was a stark contrast to the two-way toxicity that had spewed forth when James DeGale and George Groves met earlier that year.

Their mutual respect stretched back to a night at the fights at Manchester’s MEN (now Arena) venue. Mitchell came to say “Hello” to Murray and some of the Manchester and Liverpool contingent. Murray told me that he offered to walk Mitchell to his car as “This is my town and it was the right thing to do.”

That stroll through a car park stuck with both men and was a topic of conversation when the time came for them to fight each other. Mutual respect and politeness was put aside when they met in the ring only for both to praise the other after a barnstorming encounter that put a smile back on the face of the British boxing scene.

As Manny Pacquiao once said: “Boxing is a sport. We allow each other to hit each other, but I'm not treating my opponent like my enemy. We're doing a job to entertain people.” Murray-Mitchell underlined that attitude at a time when people were starting to forget it.

Everyone on BoxingScene’s U.K. and other teams wishes Mitchell the best of luck in retirement.

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