04.02.04 –Question: Sharmba and, Lovemore, how are things going?
Mitchell: I am just glad to be able to do a fight Feb. 7. Being in shape, being in tip-top shape and then having somebody pull out because they are scared, or faking an injury for the third time or the second time or whatever you want to say (is not good). Lovemore, I guess, was training for a fight and he stepped in. (It is a) bad time to step in.
N’dou: For starters, Mitchell should be apologizing for being late (for the conference call). He just walked in here and acted like a spoiled little brat that he is. He talks about himself about he is the best. Yeah, he is the best at running late and not respecting time. By the same token, I have always thought he was a great man. I appreciate him taking the fight. He could have chosen to fight somebody else. Like I said, I respect him for that, but that does not mean I will not whoop him. I am going to give him the whooping of his life.
Question: Lovemore, what does it mean to finally be getting a shot at the world championship after all these years?
N’dou: This is something I have been waiting for all my life. I have always thought of this. I know I am full of talent. All I always wanted was someone to present me the opportunity to go out and showcase my talent. And all thanks to (promoter) Dan Goossen. He came up and he gave me this opportunity. At the same time, all thanks to Sharmba for giving me the fight.
Question: Sharmba, how difficult was it for you to get over that you were not going to get a chance to fight Kostya Tszyu again, and how long did it take you to get over that?
Mitchell: Two days. My initial reaction was, I guess he is going to keep on running so I have got to keep on doing what I know how to do and that is staying in shape and keep on fighting.
Question: The Tszyu rematch has been postponed a couple of times now. Are you starting to get the sense that you might not get the chance to fight him?
Mitchell: I am getting the sense that he is just scared of me. He can keep on running, too, but he cannot go anywhere. The only place he can go is here.
Question: Sharmba, do you think Tszyu is faking an injury and that he is really not injured?
Mitchell: I do not know. James Toney had the press there and I know James Toney would not fake anything. Tszyu? I am still trying to figure out what his injury is. He should show me the tape or some bills or something. Give me something.
Question: Have you requested that from Tszyu?
Mitchell: I do not know what my people requested. I have not read anything about a surgery. I have not heard anything. So my thing is, stay in the gym, and keep on fighting. I do not care who I fight. Like I told my people, if they weigh 140 pounds, put them in the ring.
Question: Lovemore, how was the trip over (from Australia) and how do you feel physically and mentally?
N’dou: I am feeling great. It is very cold (in Atlantic City) but I am getting used to the weather. Training has been great. The only problem we had is we could not find a proper gym to do some sparring. But that did not stop me. We just moved some furniture in my hotel room around and did our sparring there. Mentally, I am as prepared as they come. I look at Sharmba Mitchell as a stepping stone to who I really want, which is Kostya Tszyu. So I can say it right now: I am looking past Sharmba Mitchell.
Question: Sharmba, is there any chance that you could suffer any type of a letdown because you are fighting N’dou and not Tszyu?
Mitchell: Oh, no, there is no mental change. I never look past anyone. My concentration has just been on fighting. I am going to fight my fight and I am going to do what I do.
Question: Sharmba, have you ever seen N’dou fight, or seen any tapes? How do you think his style compares with yours?
Mitchell: No, I have never seen him fight. My people have seen him fight one time before, but he lost that fight. I do not know too much about him. I really do not like to look at most fighters. I just like to go in there and do what I do and come out victorious. I do not trip on anybody else. I am the best at this weight and I do not care what people do in that ring as long as I go in there and do my job and come out victorious.
Question: Sharmba, Tszyu is a guy you know and have wanted to fight for two years and now you are fighting a guy that you are not familiar with. What is the difference, emotionally, in this fight?
Mitchell: There is no difference. I go in and fight and that is what I am going to do. He is going to come in and try to take my head off so I have got to go in, do my thing. A mental change or disappointment would have been if I was not fighting at all. I am victorious now because I am fighting and fighting for the world title. I am going to be two-time world champ.
Question: Lovemore, what are the challenges that Mitchell, a guy that has been around for 55 fights, offers you?
N’dou: I have seen a lot of his fights and know he is a great fighter, and very elusive. I am not going to try and take anything away from him. But this is an opportunity of a lifetime for me. This is the fight where the doors have opened up for me. I believe when God opens doors for you, no one, and that includes Sharmba, is going to shut them up on you. It is Lovemore N’dou time, and I am going to win.
Question: Lovemore, what was in like sparring in your hotel room?
N’dou: We got here and we were trying to get a gym, because the fight was on and off. One minute I thought I was not fighting and then I was told the fight was back on again and we had to jump on the first plane. And when we got to Atlantic City, there was no time for my promoters to arrange a gym for me to go train. By the time we got here, we called the local gyms and they would not let us in. They said no, we cannot get in until Monday, until after we sign some insurance papers. So what we had to do, since we had no other options, was just move my bed and the furniture around and spar in my hotel room. It turned out to be a better workout than probably it would have been in a gym.
Question: What would you say the size of the ring was in your hotel room?
N’dou: Well, like I say, if you put me in a little cage, like a dog cage or whatever, lion cage, I will still fight. It was not much room, but still it was good for me to get the rounds.
Question: Lovemore, which gyms did you call that would not let you in?
N’dou: There are two gyms that I called. They did not say they would not let us in. It is not like they did not want us to use their gym, but they would not let us in until we signed the insurance papers, which is one of their policies. The people responsible for that were not in there, so we had to wait until Monday. We could not wait until Monday. We have got a job to do, so that is why we ended up using the hotel room.
Question: Who did you spar against in your hotel room?
N’dou: I brought my own sparring partner, a very young southpaw who I have been sparring with back home. I thought it might be good if I brought him over and finished my sparring here.
Question: How many times did you spar in your hotel room and how many rounds did you do?
N’dou: We had three sparring sessions. The first was an eight rounder, and two six rounders.
Question: This is over the last couple of days?
N’dou: Yep.
Question: And have you been able to get into a gym since then?
N’dou: Right now, I have finished my sparring, so I really do not need a gym. I can just use the little gym in the hotel to finish whatever work I need to do leading up to the fight.
Question: Sharmba, originally this fight was going to be for all of Kostya Tszyu’s titles, now it is just for an IBF Interim 140-pound title. Does this change your attitude toward the fight, or do you feel you have to make a statement given the circumstances?
Mitchell: No, it does not change my attitude. I am the best in the 140-pound division and I have got to go in there and show that I am. It puts pressure on everybody else. Tszyu is going to be out for another seven more months. So, I say, all of us 140-pound champions should fight and gets these belts together. Then I will go in there and kick Tszyu’s butt when it is time for me to kick Tszyu’s butt and everything will be done.
Question: Lovemore, do you feel there is a lot of pressure on you because this is your big opportunity to shine on the national stage in the United States.
N’dou: I would not lie. Yes, it puts a lot of pressure on me. But I am a better fighter when I am under pressure. Everybody is talking about the emotional pressure that Sharmba might have gone through. Well, I have gone through my fair share myself. I had to pull out of a fight when I heard I was fighting Sharmba and then after I pulled, I was told the fight was off and Sharmba was fighting Omar Weis. Then, I heard our fight was on again. How do you think that affected me mentally? (But) I come from a very tough country. Growing up in South Africa, I have had a lot of ups and downs, so I will not let all the nonsense affect me.
Question: Lovemore, can we expect to see you at your best?
N’dou: It is only good fighters who can bring the best out of me and Sharmba is a great fighter. So you can all expect to see a good fight. SHOWTIME can get that Lovemore N’dou contract ready because when I am done they are going to be giving me a big contract.
Question: The young, undefeated kid from England, Ricky Hatton, is going to be in attendance Saturday and hopes to fight the winner. What do you guys think of Hatton?
Mitchell: Hatton is fighting all my people that I have already beat up and is fighting everybody over in England. I offered to fight to him in England, but they turned it down. So he can come watch me fight and he can keep on rooting me on. I am the best in this world. It does not make a difference what he wants to do. Hatton poses no threat to me at all.
N’dou: Hatton is a protected young fighter who has never fought anyone credible. We have challenged him on a number of occasions. I wrote a personal letter directed to him and he would not respond. I spoke to his people several times and they would not take the fight. I am surprised now he wants to fight the winner. If that is the fight he wants, I really want the fight. I will knock him out quick. Sharmba is a better fighter than Ricky Hatton.
Question: Lovemore, do you think that Sharmba made a mistake by agreeing to fight you?
N’dou: He made the biggest mistake of his life, which he is going to live to regret. But at the same time, I respect the fact that he chose to fight me. He could have chosen not to have taken the fight. He could have chose to just sit and wait for Tszyu or he could have chose to fight somebody else. He gave me the fight and I respect that. At the same time, like I said, in spite of the fact that I respect him, I am still going to whoop him.
Mitchell: I am going to fight the best. They went down the line and he is who we chose to fight. Ups and downs? I have been through ups and downs all through this crazy little rollercoaster I have been on since Tszyu pulled out – from Tszyu pulling out to I am fighting Weis to I am fighting N’dou and to my grandmother passing just last week and me going to a funeral. Yes, I have been through the ups and downs, but guess what? My job is my job and I am the best at this and all of this stuff that is coming together is going to bring nothing but the best out of Sharmba Mitchell.
Question: Sharmba, how do you rank the best at 140? Who are the names you are looking at, your top three?
Mitchell: I put myself at number one. Tszyu is running from me. Still, I would put him next. At number three, that one would be kind of hard because I really do not see anyone there. I mean Arturo Gatti is tough but he is not one that can actually take over the 140-pound division, so I cannot really say.
Question: Lovemore, you actually wrote Hatton a letter and he did not get back to you on it?
N’dou: Yeah, twice we wrote him a letter and he didn’t respond. And my manager has been calling his people all the time and they just keep coming up with excuses. At one time they were saying we are going to take the fight and then they turned it down. When he fought Ben Tackie, we made them an offer. We were ready to take the fight at any time. We even offered him to come to Australia. Some people put some big money together to try and get him to come there and fight me, but he was not willing.
Question: Lovemore, don’t you think they will all want to fight you if you win?
N’dou: They are making a big mistake because if they look at my record I have never been beat at 140 pounds, and I do not intend to. The last loss I had was at 135 because of having major weight problems. I am a muscular guy and to make 135 I was like fighting muscle and when you fight muscle, that kills you. But at 140, I am just firepower. I do not know how I can explain it. But no one can beat me at 140.
Question: Sharmba, do you have any closing comments?
Mitchell: My fans, come on out. You’re going to see the best Sharmba Mitchell there is. To N’dou, thanks for taking the fight, but it’s going to be a long plane ride home empty-handed.
– Photo (c) Tom Casino/Showtime –