Saturday, September 7 was a night where we may have seen two Beltway Boxing careers end. One we knew about; the other we knew could end but hoped -- maybe against logic -- wouldn't.
We knew Scott Sigmon was calling it quits win or lose after his bout with Phil Jackson Benson at Rosecroft Raceway. Sigmon said that before the bout and the beating he took made that point abundantly clear.
However, it should also be time for Seth Mitchell to call it a career as a heavyweight boxer. His crushing first-round defeat at the fists of Chris Arreola Saturday night in Indio, CA proved that seemingly beyond any doubt.
Frankly, Mitchell should be given a whole lot of credit for what he has accomplished. He made a smooth transition from football to pro boxing maybe better than anyone in the history of the game. Even more successful football players like Ed "Too Tall" Jones, Mark Gastineau, Alonzo Highsmith and Craig Woffley did not reach the level of legitimacy that Mitchell earned. Those four and others liked them were only names to sell tickets because of their fame on the gridiron. Mitchell, because of his athletic ability and maturity, achieved much more -- a legitimate top five ranking, a signing with a major promotional company and respect from many in the boxing world.
However, Mitchell has hit a ceiling and his recent performances (namely against Chazz Witherspoon, the two bouts with Johnathon Banks and Arreola) proved that it will be virtually impossible to break through. Mitchell simply does not have the chin to advance against the harder punchers in the division.
Golden Boy did not do a lot of promotion for Mitchell's bout against Arreola. One lone representative from Golden Boy's media department showed up at his media workout in Clinton, MD and nothing was done in California until the week of the bout and that was hastily put together. This gave the impression that Golden Boy was not completely behind their fighter going into this contest. Now that it's over, it's hard to fathom that Golden Boy will be able to market Mitchell at this stage. To quote the legendary basketball philosopher Michael Ray Richardson, "the ship be sinking."
In fact, the Mitchell voyage has already gone down. It didn't go down without a fight, however, and Mitchell's achievements in the sport should be honored.
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This is really not on Mitchell or his coach. The blame for the crash and burn of Seth's career should entirely be put on management. His promoter should also receive some of the blame, but it is his management that should have put on the brakes either before or after the fight with Banks and anytime between then and now. The real question is "What was the rush"? You have a special person in Seth Mitchell with a loyal local following and you have a guy who lacks experience. Why take him to Fantasy Springs and put him in front of Hispanic audiences? Why rush him after Banks 1 to do Banks 2? Why not put him on some local shows or build some local shows around him and bring in one of Golden Boys tv partners and do two or three shows here built around Seth. Have him hone his craft against quality journeyman. So he only makes 20 grand, or 15 grand on espn. Again "what is the rush"? He builds the loyal local audience so those shows can pay for themselves, and god forbid if he goes out of town and loses, he then can be brought back on a local card with a win. But there was no plan here beyond a "get us to the money as quick as possible" all out pursuit of getting all the money as quick as you can. He loses, throw him back in quick. He wins, but everyone knows he has a questionable chin, hey, no problem, there's a Showtime fight against Arreola (with how many knockouts you might ask...ahh 30 knockouts, hell forget it, its Showtime money, come on Seth keep your chin down and go get us the money).
Gary can write about this being the end of his career but that is so unfair. He is only 31, has only been a pro for five plus years. He is a heavyweight and they always mature late. Gary can speak highly of how he did better than Mark Gastineau which is also so unfair because he was a circus act as a boxer, but Seth is a serious athlete. What
Seth did was start a professional boxing career late. Instead of being brought along carefully and developped, he was rushed along because some desparate people wanted to earn off him and they did not really care about their fighter. This is a very sad day.
If he had fought here and had some journeyman fights, he might have done better. At the same time he could have come back after a loss like this and rebuilt. Now that still may be possible. Lets just hope that management will put their cash in their banks and be happy and not start thinking how many wins they need to get him to a Klitschko fight. Now I do not know if he even wants to continue his career, especially if he is smart enough to realize how he has just been used, but if he is, I hope he will give it a try. Tell his team to take their hard earned (?) management money and back off and make his own decisions.
And please Seth realize, as so many up and coming fighters should, that getting a promotional contract with a big promoter is not all that it is cranked up to be. Especially when, in the case of Golden Boy, you have a company that only wants to fill tv slots and has no real interest in building a fighter. If they did, they would not have made this fight. And please recognize the fact that there is a dearth of quality American heavyweights. Audiences everywhere love heavyweight fights. Around here you can and will always remain very popular. Take advantage of that and don't let anyone take advantage of you. You have made some money so you do not have to be desparate like those around you.
Continue to believe in yourself and your God and you will continue to be a fighter that people like to watch and you will continue to be successful.
That sounds if it is coming from someone who is close to camp. That person is trying to say that Sharif Davis used and abused Seth Mitchell. I too believe that Seth Mitchell could make tons of money fighting locally just as Jimmy Lange has done. Seth is still a good fighter and would do more than enough to satisfy his fans in the DMV. In fact, they would welcome him home and support him to the fullest. Seth has now learned that he does not have to give such a large percentage of his purse away to an undeservable person. I personally believe he has many more fights in him and if chose correctly, would win them all. He deserves much more than the bad write-ups he is recieving. Hopefully we will see him fighting locally before the year is out.
Well written Gary. Seth clearly peaked and did as much as he could. Luckily, he's a college grad with a future outside of boxing.
You make some good points and it goes back to the fact that there's no right way to do this.
Mitchell's camp went this route because they thought they had something special. They did. They could have gone the Don Steele route and kept Seth fighting at home against journeymen and fringe contenders. The outcome of that however, could be the same as what happened to Steele after he left the Carolinas. Steele got blasted by Ray Mercer and was never heard from again. This was despite having 31 KOs in 31 bouts going in.
I will agree that Mitchell was rushed into bouts going back to after the Witherspoon fight. A couple of home bouts probably would have helped him at that point. The problem was by that point, there may not have been any turning back. Again, I agree with you about being rushed.
Now, however, what is the point of him continuing? He probably will not make the money he has made. While I agree that heavyweights do tend to mature late, it helps when you haven't taken a lot of punishment, especially on national TV like Tony Thompson. Right now, unfortunately, he is looked at in the boxing world as damaged goods.
Let me clarify. Tony Thompson has not taken that much punishment. That is why has matured as a boxer late.
This breaks my heart, he was my hero.
Golden Boy has been overprotecting Seth Mitchell from the get go. A football player converted into professional boxer, Mitchell used his strength to dispose of stiffs who could not box. The only trouble with padded a boxing record with that logic is what if the fighter beating the stiffs, in reality, cannot box?
In an outcome most experts predicted, hard punching Chris Arreola exposed Golden Boy’s overhyped overprotected football player turned boxer Seth Mitchell, dropping him in the first round, then beating him senseless with pinpoint overhand right power shots to the head which left Mitchell helpless along the ropes, prompting referee Jack Reiss to stand in front of Mitchell looking at Arreola to protect Mitchell’s life. It was all over at 2:26 of the first round. One had to wonder what Golden Boy was thinking in overprotecting Mitchell all along, knowing he could not box, and kidding themselves by putting Mitchell in with Arreola. The September 7, 2013, main event at Fantasy Springs Casino, in Indio, California, was perhaps the worst blowout of the year. Mitchell needed a football helmet to protect himself, because he cannot box. Period.
Digital:
I would not say that Don Steele is an example of a admirable or acceptable option of how to pursue a boxing career. Not only did Steele fight stiffs, at least one opponent he fought competed under a false alias because of the boxer's poor record.
I am sure this was not your intention, but even a passing reference caused me to comment.
You can build a fighter up too a certain point. Eventually you have too step up and fight someone. Im tired of the so called local boxing promotors bringing in stiffs and taking peoples money. We want too see real fights in DC. So what if you loose, at least we got are moneys worth and we will gladly support you, and the local fighters. It comes a point also when the fighter has too make money too live off of. Selling tickets and buying slots on local cards is some bullshit. Seth still is a talent. Get the money while you can Seth. Bank it and find a real job also. This wont last forever. By the way, his promotional team has done a good job getting him too this point. One or 2 fights shouldnt end your career. Keystone did good they other night with there show. Some locals really had too fight. Keep up the good job Keystone...
All we have too do is get James Stephenson, Seth Mitchell, Dusty Harrison, Scott Sigmon, o yeah I think he's retired,Tony Jeter, Tony Thompson too start of a card, because they sell tickets and will get the bum they bring in out in 2 or 3 rounds, and then schedule 2 8 rd fights with that dude Fox and main event, last but not least the runner slick Nick the runner COCK sucker Kisner, on a card. The last 2 because they dont have power and the fight will go the distance and we can start at 9 oclock and be done in time enough too party at 11:30 pm. Make it happen Keystone.
Tell Seth after golden boy drops him, come sign with James Hogan. He likes too win and doesnt care about money. He will sign you too a nice 10 year contract, just sign on the dotted line. You will get all the wins you want, and you and your family will be living with family.
Hey Seth.Sorry man. Sorry you couldnt fight with your football helmit. Take some time off, get your Helmit I mean you head together and begin your journey again with the rest of the opponents that has gone done your path. Journeyman. Thanks Sherrif..Your just like Master mine Productions Mike.
Maybe he just needs a trainer to teach him upper body movement and how to move his head. A trainer to teach him how to bend and not be a totem pole so much.
The matchup didnt make sense. Seth's chin, pourous defense
and an inability to clinch have been apparant for some time. Once he redeemed himself from the Banks ko, he clearly should have been matched with lighter hitting opponents so that he could develop those skills. Arreola is a stone cold puncher, not a fighter he should ever be in with.
But don't write him off yet. Lots of heavyweights have been blown out and continued their career-albeit with better match making. Norton, Klitchko, Lewis, Rahman just to name a few. He needs to take a big step back, start fighting lesser competition and learn the art of defense.
I was devastated now i know America has no hope for a heavy weight champ
Mr Mittchell is still in line to make some big money but he must first be taught a diffrent kind of defense. There are diffrent types of defense that apply in this sport and the one he clearly needs to learn first is to put a little perpetual movement in his head starting with round one.A sitting duck gets hurt easier than one thats paddleing around.The second would be if he does get dinged a little to have a mental plan to do something diffrent
ie: maybe hold or start walking around the ring or even take a knee.
What has happened to seth mittchell is normal with the amount of experience he has.Honestly this young man is just starting to learn how to fight,it takes alot of time to learn how to deal with this kind of adversity in such a brutal sport.
Seth was put on the fast track for whatever reason and he accomplished
a great deal in the short time he's been in the sport.
This man has shown class and charm in the sport and unless he feels like he doesn't want to do it anymore
I think he has still got alot left in his tank.
Regroup and don't let all these negative comments control your life Mr Mitchell
Boxing people are the most critical and really downright unfair. They love you when you are winning and quickly hate you when you stumble. Losing is a part of the this life and this sport just as winning is. My Teacher, The honorable Mr. Mack Lewis taught us that there are no iron men in boxing and anyone can be stopped.
When a fighter looses, all members of his team must take responsibility, that way everyone can seek to improve their contribution to the team effort. I believe that Seth has to improve on his defense and boxing mechanics. This loss could open a new and greater future success.
Seth Mitchell made it to a place where a lot of people will never make it to a few of these comments are crazy the last comment thank you whoever posted it stop blaming the trainer and Managers every time something goes wrong look for a solution to the problem everyone can lose keep you head up Seth.
Seths trainer was not the problem. Andre hunter is a very good teacher. The problem was his management. They did not develop him by having him correctly by having him fight twice a year and by not picking the right opponents to work on different aspects of seths game.
A guy like seth who had no amateur background needed hard rounds and lots of them. He wasn't getting enough fights and the moved him up too fast. He was not ready for banks who at best was a top 25 heavyweight, really a cruiserweight with not a lot of power and he obliterated seth.
ITs not that seth lost but how he lost. In both of these fights he lost he got ko'd quick. He was not ready.
It is a good thing he lost, if he had fought the champ what do you think would have happened.
Maybe now once golden boy dumps seth, maybe his management will sit down with him see what he wants to do and if seth decides to continue maybe they will do it right and have him fight more often. It will be interesting to see what the men of mayhem will plan for seth.
U guys are all missing the point! Seth signing with golden boy and haymon was the best thing for him. He got paid and isnt in any type of condition that will ruin him for life. Al got him on hbo against the softest approvable opponents.
U realize Seth could've been knocked out OFF of TV right?
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