In a “Special Edition” of Showtime Boxing, Chris Arreola (36-3, 31 knockouts) and Seth Mitchell (26-2-1, 19 knockouts) engaged in a bout that proved to be as exciting as it was brief.
Going into the bout, Arreola had his back against the wall. Coming off of a one-sided loss at the hands of Bermane Stiverne (23-1-1, 20 knockouts) back in April, Arreola had to do something especially impressive to prove that he still deserves a potential shot at a Klitschko. This point was loud and clear to Arreola, and he proved that Saturday night.
At the opening bell of the first round, Mitchell was the first to instigate contact with a stiff jab that found its mark. It seemed as if Mitchell was set to out-box Arreola, much like he had done with Banks, but Arreola wasn’t quite ready to let that happen. Arreola began goading Mitchell into the type of brawl that he excels in, and as the two began exchanging shots it was Arreola now landing the harder shots.
It was during one of these exchanges that Arreola was able to catch Mitchell with a right-cross that had him badly wobbled and seeking to clinch up. Somehow able to stand, Mitchell had to put up with the incoming onslaught of a determined Chris Arreola. With another vicious blow Arreola was able to finally put Mitchell down. While Mitchell managed to beat the count, Arreola was just even more determined to make a quick night of things.
With another volley of blows, Mitchell began to look limp and forced the referee to intervene and call a halt to the action. Without a doubt this was the kind of win Arreola needed, but one can’t help but question just what kind of opposition Mitchell really offered. As for Mitchell, this proves to be a crippling blow for a career that seemed set to finally start up. There’s no telling where these two will go from here, but as long as they still provide exciting match-ups for the division the future remains bright.
