Shannon Courtenay loses after being stripped of world title for missing weight

Shannon Courtenay has lost for the second time in her career to Jamie Mitchell just a day after being stripped of her world bantamweight title for missing weight.

Courtenay cited issues with her menstrual cycle starting early for why she was 2.5lbs over the bantamweight limit of 118 yesterday, and was unable to retain her belt had she beaten Mitchell.

But it ultimately was no matter, as American Mitchell dominated the bout in front of a packed crowd at the M&S Bank Arena in Liverpool to take home the belt and continue her undefeated professional career.

Courtenay sported a knee brace as she entered the ring for her ninth fight, and spent the early parts of the fight against the ropes, losing almost all of the early rounds on many scorecards.

Mitchell, who had never gone out of the sixth round in her eight fights, piled on the pressure early and seemed to have hurt Courtenay above the eye with a mix of her solid right hands and a clash of heads.

And she seemed to be in the ascendancy throughout the fight, until she got through the seventh and began to show signs of tiredness that Courtenay was able to take advantage of throughout the eighth and ninth.

However, Mitchell found her second wind and never looked particularly troubled by Courtenay, whose only other career loss came at the hands of Rachel Ball, who would also go on to become a world champion.

Courtenay appeared puzzled as the scorecards were read out, with one judge giving the fight as a draw while two had it in favour of Mitchell, and later stated that she felt she'd won the fight.

"I thought I won the fight," Courtenay said in an outrageous post-fight interview. "I landed the much heavier shots.

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"I don't see how I lost, but I have to pay respect to her, she's now world champion. That belt ain't going to be on her waist for long.

"I've got a rematch and I'm gonna get it back."

Should Courtenay get her immediate rematch, Mitchell has insisted that the result will be much the same, adding that she felt insulted by Courtenay's post-fight comments.

"She's saying that I didn't land any shots but look at her face," Mitchell replied. "Obviously Shannon's word can't be held accountable; she said she was going to keep the title and she didn't.

"I think I did great tonight and I don't really appreciate her taking my credibility away like that.

"I'm a dog and I'll definitely give her the rematch again just to show everybody that.

"I'll defend the belt next time, I've got it here on my lap."

Mitchell and Courtenay's rematch will likely take place in the early part of 2022 on an Eddie Hearn-promoted event, although a location and date is as yet unknown.

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