Former WBA junior welterweight champion Sharmba Mitchell had expected to be in Moscow, Russia facing Kostya Tszyu in a rematch of their competitive bout that took place in February of 2001.

But when Tszyu injured a shoulder a few weeks ago, Mitchell was then slated to face Lovemore N'dou in Las Vegas on the undercard of James Toney-Jameel McCline. But when Toney's Achilles tendon went lights out, Mitchell was suddenly without a fight for February 7th.

After some scrambling by his promoter Gary Shaw and Showtime, Mitchell was then tabbed to face Omar Weis for the IBF interim junior welterweight crown. But Weis would eventually back out and now Mitchell faces the same N'dou for the same title at Bally's in Atlantic City.

It's been a circuitous route for Mitchell, from Moscow, to Vegas to Atlantic City, to Tszyu, N'dou, Weis and N'dou again. But Mitchell says he's had no problems getting focused on Saturday night.

"No," insisted Mitchell. "I just have to fight my fight and make everybody fight my fight, like I always do. I never really adapt to anyone, any person or anything like that. I do what I do. I'm a professional and I've been at this for many years, I'm a veteran. Nothing surprises me anymore."

But there was disappointment when Mitchell found out that he would not get a chance to avenge his loss to Tszyu. This is the second time that the hard-hitting Russian has pulled out of the rematch with Mitchell.

The rematch was originally scheduled to take place last September before an Achilles injury postponed the fight. Mitchell is getting a bit suspicious of Tszyu's pullouts.

"I'm very much suspicious. I almost feel like Ali in Zaire, right now," said Mitchell, alluding to George Foreman's cut prior to his bout with Muhammad Ali in 1974 that delayed their historic bout for more than a month. "I wasn't really fighting for myself, I'm fighting for the United States of America. Coming over from the largest, wealthiest and powerful countries in the world, and going over to the next most powerful country in the world, to conquer."

As you hear him talk you could almost hear the national anthem in the background or images of Rocky Balboa toppling Ivan Drago.

"I had a duty to perform and to perform to perfection and I did that in camp. Going over there to face him, I had no problem with going over there to face him and actually, I would like for it to stay that way," Mitchell said. "[I want to] go over there and face him. I want to conquer Moscow."

Perhaps Mitchell, who's about as well-spoken and friendly as fighters go, is unaware that the Cold War is long over. But he was eager to go into Russia in the heart of winter.

"Yeah, man," he says eagerly. "Y'know what? In the ring, inside a building, it's not cold in the building, the weather can't kill us in the ring or anything like that. So all those excuses of 'the weather this or the weather that' -- I go skiing in the winter, man. I love the winter, so hey, if they were looking at the weather to break me down going into a fight that's inside, where I'm going to be wearing shorts. You far-fetching for an excuse."

Now he fights N'dou in Atlantic City -- and perhaps you could see why he was looking forward to being in Moscow. But after all the events of the past few weeks, it was imperative that after a long training camp that Mitchell get any kind of fight under his belt.

"The most important thing is to get the work in right now. The IBF has said that they're going to do it for the interim title, so I don't care what they do, I don't care who they put into the ring," said Mitchell. "My objective is to just go in there, fight, get the work in, come back and fight again. I'm just going to sit around for Kostya, I'm going to go ahead and fight who's tops."

But perhaps Tszyu who has openly talked of retirement with his recent ailments, is retired without knowing it. Mitchell could be waiting for a fight that may never happen.

"Well, what do I have to say about that, him pulling out?" said Mitchell, laughing at the thought. "I'm getting to where I think he's scared or he's making excuses. I'm not sure. Y'know that what I'm thinking? Maybe he just don't want to face the fire. But it's here and done, he can't duck it, maybe I'll just go ahead and put him in retirement."

Since having to retire himself with a bum knee against Tszyu in their initial encounter, after more than a year of rehabilitation, Mitchell has racked up consecutive wins against Bernard Harris, Frank Houghtaling, Vince Phillips, Carlos Vilches and Ben Tackie. If he should beat N'dou, who comes in with a five-fight winning streak of his own, Mitchell says he will only look for the biggest fights at 140-pounds.

But are there any real options for him?

Arturo Gatti?

"I don't think so," admitted Mitchell. "I think they are strategically planning for Arturo keeping the belt. And I wouldn't blame them because fighting a top opponent like myself or somebody like that, I think that would be crazy. I would probably retire him."

Main Events, which promotes Gatti, would most likely shy away from a fight with Mitchell.

Zab Judah?

Well, they did have a 'ghetto feud' a few years ago but Judah has since moved up to welterweight. But Mitchell was an interested observer when Judah got stopped by Tszyu in November of 2001 and threw a tantrum ‹ along with a ring stool -- in the aftermath.

"Oh, man, it was sooo funny, he just a jokester, man. And now he's with Don (King) and they have their lil' circle and no one can get to those '47 belts because that lil' circle is just going to sit and fight each other. I just don't want to deal with the Don King bullcrap with the '47 belts."

What's ironic is that Mitchell was promoted by King during his championship run.

"I was with Don," he admitted. "But he fought me every six, seven months and it wasn't good for me and Don wants to control everything. I just didn't want to deal with that whole situation."

OK, how 'bout DeMarcus Corley in a battle of Washington D.C. junior welterweights? 'Chop Chop', in his last bout, lost a 12-rounder to Judah last July, losing his WBO crown.

"I thought he could've done more, but ya know, when the kitchen gets hot, the punk really comes out in 'Chop Chop'. The 'Victoria Secrets' thing really comes out in him," Mitchell said, alluding to the fact that Corley has openly admitted to (and proudly) wearing women's undergarments.

And there is no love lost between Mitchell and Corley after Corley trashed every other D.C. based fighter from Mark Johnson to William Joppy to Keith Holmes and Mitchell himself in a boxing magazine in rather graphic detail. It seemed the only ones in our nation's capital spared from the acid tongue of Corley was Joe Gibbs and Marion Barry.

"Exactly, now he wants everyone to be his friend," said a disbelieving Mitchell. "Nobody likes him in D.C. and he can stay wherever he is. I mean you got a guy from D.C. that thought he was a world champion -- I mean he had the WBO title -- what is the WBO title? He didn't really have a major title and he thought he was real big and mighty. And you don't go around talking about people you come up with and the people that taught you things, like that. Especially in your area, you're a traitor and I always believed he was that kind of way."

It seemed for awhile that there were lines of boxers in the gyms of D.C. trying to get a shot at Corley ‹ but they didn't include Mitchell.

"Y'know what? I kill people with kindness and don't even dwell on that because he can sit and he can talk about everything under the sun about all of us in D.C. and things of that nature but when you want some money or something like that, call me up then. You're making chump change being a WBO champion or no champion at all, now. You're a sparring partner at this point."

So the benevolent Mitchell is willing then to give Corley a fight down the line, right? Uh no.

"I wouldn't give him a shot if he was the last man at 140 pounds," he stated emphatically. "I would just move up because I would kill him, he would never, ever, ever, ever, ever, be able to get a shot from me."