By Dan Ambrose: Heavyweights Chris Arreola (35-3, 30 KO’s) and Seth Mitchell (26-1-1, 19 KO’s) will be facing each other in 10 days in a scheduled 12 round bout at the Fantasy Springs Casino, in Indio, California.
The fight is an important one for both fighters, as they each are highly ranked by the World Boxing Council and are in position to get a title shot in the near future once the WBC decides what’s going to happen with the injured current WBC champion Vitali Klitschko.
The 32-year-old Arreola, #3 WBC, is trying to bounce back from a crippling 12 round unanimous decision loss to Bermane Stiverne from last April. Arreola suffered a nose injury early in that fight, and was knocked to the canvas in the 3rd round. That was just the beginning of his Arreola’s troubles though, because he continued to take a pounding for the remaining 9 rounds of the fight.
Arreola proved to be incapable of adapting in the fight, and that’s what caused him to lose by a lopsided decision. Instead of recognizing that he had met his match in terms of being up against a better slugger in Stiverne, Arreola stubbornly continued to try and slug it out until the very end. He didn’t learn, he didn’t adapt, and he took a needless beating.
Mitchell, a former standout college football linebacker from Michigan State, isn’t quite as bad off as Arreola is career-wise, but he’s pretty close. Despite being blessed with huge power and a ton of talent, Mitchell’s chin betrayed him last November against Johnathon Banks with him getting stopped in 2 rounds.
Mitchell beat Banks in a rematch last June in earning a 12 round unanimous decision, but it wasn’t an inspiring performance from Mitchell. He was hurt twice in the fight by Banks, and there are major questions whether Mitchell would have survived the full 12 rounds had Banks not injured both of his hands early in the fight. Mitchell’s power and offensive skills looked good in the Banks’ fight, but his ability to take hard head shots was problem.
Mitchell can beat Arreola if he’s able to keep some distance from him in the early part of the fight. Arreola looked strong in the early going against Stiverne, but in the 2nd half of the fight, Arreola’s power abandoned him and he looked exhausted.
Mitchell just needs to stay on the move, his jab, and avoid getting involved with exchanges with Arreola until at least the 7th round. Arreola becomes an arm puncher after the 7th, and Mitchell can definitely win this fight if he’s smart and disciplined.
Comments are closed.