Seth Mitchell could face 39-year-old Michael Grant next

By Boxing News - 04/30/2012 - Comments

Image: Seth Mitchell could face 39-year-old Michael Grant nextBy Jason Kim: Fresh off his life and death battle against 2nd tier fighter Chazz Witherspoon, unbeaten heavyweight contender Seth Mitchell (25-0-1, 19 KO’s) could be facing 39-year-old 6’7″ Michael Grant (48-4, 36 KO’s) next.

Grant’s name has been brought up as a potential next opponent for the 29-year-old Mitchell to keep him moving forward. Ranked #6 WBO, Mitchell needs a lot of work before he’s ready, if he ever will be, for a world title shot. Although the HBO analysts were excited about him last Saturday night, Mitchell’s performance against Witherspoon showed front and center that he’s not ready to take on better opposition at this time. The World Boxing Organization isn’t doing Mitchell any favors by ranking him so highly at this juncture, because if Mitchell is rushed into a fight against IBF/WBA/WBO heavyweight champion Wladimir Klitschko, Mitchell will be lucky to make it out of the 1st round. He’s way too easy to hit, as we saw against Witherspoon last Saturday night, and his chin doesn’t appear to be all that sturdy.

I think putting Mitchell in with Grant would be a big mistake because Grant is a bigger puncher than Witherspoon, and he does well against stationary fighters like Mitchell that stand directly in front of him. Mitchell will probably win, but if Grant lands one of his big right hands, I don’t see Mitchell staying on his feet. Grant has too much size and he’s been fighting a heck of a lot longer than Mitchell, even if he’s found only marginal success when facing better opposition.

Mitchell has got a lot of work ahead of him before he’s ready even for a contender, much less a world champion. He’s too flawed, too easy to hit and his chin appears to be too fragile.

Witherspoon had Mitchell badly hurt in the 1st round after hitting him with several hard right hands. Mitchell was forced to hold for dear life just to make it out of the round. If Witherspoon had any power, he likely would have ended the fight in the 1st round.



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