When Seth Mitchell knocked out Chazz Witherspoon this past April, he passed a few important tests. First and foremost, he showed the ability to survive adversity when Witherspoon badly stung him in the opening round. He also showed the ability to adapt during the fight. Most importantly, Mitchell’s performance was a clear example that he’s more than a match for the former and fringe contenders of the division.
This Saturday night (November 17), Mitchell takes a step up to face veteran Johnathon Banks, who’s undefeated over nine fights since moving up to the heavyweight division three years ago. In an interesting twist, Banks doubles as the head trainer for Wladimir Klitschko, who’s lauded Mitchell as a potential opponent next year. After the fight, Mitchell may very well have answered another test regarding if he’s truly a top fighter and potential heir to the Klitschko throne.
Beats, Boxing & Mayhem: You spoke about your last opponent Chazz Witherspoon as someone who was solid in every area but unspectacular. What’s your verdict on Johnathon Banks?
Mitchell: He’s going to set a lot more traps. He has a good jab and he’s a better counter-puncher. And I think overall he’s a better boxer than Witherspoon.
Beats, Boxing & Mayhem: Facing a good counter-puncher is obviously a big concern since you’re an aggressive fighter. Does this mean we’ll be seeing more boxing instead of pressure from you come Saturday?
Mitchell: Without giving away too much of the game plan, you’re going to see “effective aggressiveness.” My trainer and I put together a solid game plan and you’ll be seeing different things in there on November 17.
Beats, Boxing & Mayhem: Banks hasn’t had any losses since the knockout defeat to Adamek in 2009. That fight was at cruiserweight. How do you rate Banks’ durability as a smaller heavyweight?
Mitchell: He’s a smaller heavyweight but he’s put together well. He’s not a flabby 225 pound fighter. Anytime you get someone that’s 200 plus pounds throwing punches at you, they can land something solid and get you in trouble. I think he’s a decent-sized heavyweight that knows the ring well from sparring with the Klitschko brothers and Lennox Lewis. He has a lot of experience and it remains to be seen how I deal with him on the 17th, but I remain very confident.
Beats, Boxing & Mayhem: Although this fight had to be pushed back a few times with your hand injury, one of the benefits of a layoff is it gives you more time to refine your game with minimal wear and tear. What have you spent the most time working on with this down time?
Mitchell: Overall I just wanted to become a better boxer and stop some of the things I saw in my last fight like not falling in with punches and having good balance. It was a blessing in disguise that allowed me to rest my hand which is now 100% healed. We worked on a lot of other things, but I have to be vague with the fight coming up so soon. But you’ll see everything on fight night.
Beats, Boxing & Mayhem: When fans and writers see a fighter get hurt, we often say “just hold on” as if that’s the easiest thing to do after having you senses scrambled from a punch. Take us into a fighter’s perspective of what it feels like to be hurt and how you were able to make it out of that first round with Witherspoon.
Mitchell: You have to be mentally strong and number one be in great condition. Being able to recover quickly depends vitally on what condition you’re in. At the same time, your opponent has to help you out too. When I got hurt with Chazz Witherspoon, I was like “Ok, don’t be macho. Go out there and grab him.” And he saw that he had hurt me and tried to finish me but, some of the things I told you I had worked on like not falling in and being too close so your opponent to grab you, those are some of the things he did. He didn’t attack the body and he was head-hunting. Those things made it easier to grab on and survive the first round.
Man, when that feeling goes through your head and that tingling feeling through your body, you have to stay composed. It’s easier said than done because some people get hurt and their first instinctual reaction is to go out there and brawl. There’s a time and place for everything; get composed and then come back. The most important thing is to make it out that round. You know you already lost it so make it out and build from there. That was my mindset.
Beats, Boxing & Mayhem: You’re on record as saying your timeline for a title match against a Klitschko is late 2013. Outside of those fights, the majority of the active heavyweights are coming from Europe. Are you willing to take fights in Europe to build your name internationally?
Mitchell: Anything is possible but right now I would probably say right now all my fights will be in the U.S.
Beats, Boxing & Mayhem: Al Haymon is an advisor on your team. Talk about the influence he’s had on your career thus far.
Mitchell: He’s instilled in me that you only can control what you can control and that’s not underestimating any of your opponents. Do your job, prepare and be ready when your time is called. His track record shows he’ll put you in the right opportunities. That’s all he can do. We talk about the boxing business itself: the ins and outs and the politics. People are going to say you should fight this one or that one, but he tells me to focus on what I can control and the team will put me in the right position.
Beats, Boxing & Mayhem: On your HBO “2 Days” special, your manager mentioned that you view boxing as a “means to an end” rather than a passion. Do you agree what that opinion?
Mitchell: I wouldn’t say [the passion] is 100%. I love competing. I love the adrenaline rush I get of training and putting my body through strenuous situations. I love competing whether it’s football, basketball or any sport. My manager Sharif Salim and I talk about boxing all the time. Boxing is a rough way to make a living. If you told me I had the potential to make as much money and succeed in another job I can’t honestly tell you I wouldn’t take the other job. Getting punched upside the head for a living is brutal, not to mention the politics involved. One thing is I don’t disrespect the sport. I don’t underestimate my opponents and I’ll always be in shape.
Beats, Boxing & Mayhem: I also saw in the clip that you met Ken Norton. Have you had a chance to watch any of those older heavyweights and picked anything up from them?
Mitchell: When I first started boxing I watched a lot of old tapes to pick up little nuances. I still have a lot of them and still watch them every now and then. I’m an avid boxing fan and watch all types of weight classes whenever it’s on TV. Even the Spanish channel where I don’t know what they’re saying. I don’t watch too much tape of my opponents though. I let my trainer break that down.
Beats, Boxing & Mayhem: To close, give me your opinion of how your heavyweight stacks up to those throughout the division’s history.
Mitchell: The older fighters could definitely compete. The thing that makes the Klitschkos so good is they fight well with their height. The Klitschkos would have been dominant in any era of boxing because they have power and fight with their height. But the older generations were tougher, man. They fought with smaller gloves and longer rounds. They would’ve been very effective in this era as well.
Seth Mitchell vs. Johnathon Banks will be the opener of this Saturday’s (November 17) Boxing After Dark card headlined by Adrien Broner vs. Antonio DeMarco. The card airs at 10 p.m. ET.
Beats, Boxing and Mayhem 