Kevin Mitchell announces his retirement

British lightweight Kevin Mitchell is hanging up the gloves, an announcement he just made ahead his scheduled fight against Edis Tatli next month. Mitchell was in the midst of training camp preparing for the bout when he realized that his body just couldn't go through it once again.

"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. "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.'

Mitchell says that he carries a lot of good memories of the sport with him, but the feeling he got after losing a rousing battle against Jorge Linares last year stands out in particular for him.

"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."

In the end Mitchell hopes that the fans feel that they always got their money's worth out of him, as he says he put it all on the line every time he stepped between the ropes.

But Mitchell won't be stepping away from the sport entirely, he's already begun working with his trainer Tony Sims in cultivating the next generation of talent.

"I can't wait to get my hands dirty working with Tony," said Mitchell. "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."

Mitchell ends his professional career with a record of 39-4 (29 KOs), having won several British, Commonwealth, and intercontinental titles, yet never getting his hands on a world title. Best wishes to him in his future endeavors.