Excellent fighter, just short of world class - good chin and a good puncher too from what I remember. He was a bit like an early version of Eubank in terms of personality: slightly eccentric character, who fancied himself as a bit of a philosopher and a poet - which drew at lot of blank looks and raised eyebrows in boxing circles of course.
Had some real wars in his time, going on memory, I think his fight with Clinton McKenzie ( the UK's very own Arturo Gatti ) was fight of the year - over 15 rounds too.
Hit his stride after that, and reeled off a great sequence of wins for the British title. But then met his nemesis in a big grudge match - Lloyd Honeyghan. It was a sort of mini Benn/Eubank in terms of personalities - insults flying and bad feeling all round.
Lloyd proved himself world class that night though, and Sylvester was never to hit the heights again. Another British welterweight great beat him a few years later, Kirk Laing.
Happy birthday Sylvester Mittee
