ATLANTIC CITY, NJ — The fact that Johnathon Banks, an Emanuel Steward trainer protege who’s been boxing since the age of 15, defeated a relative newcomer to the sport in Seth Mitchell is technically not that big of an upset. However, the manner in which Banks scored the victory is. Banks needed only two rounds to exploit Mitchell’s tendency to lunge with punches to drop him three times for a second round TKO at the Boardwalk Hall.
Seen as the best American heavyweight prospect by HBO, Mitchell had promised to correct the defensive flaws that got him in trouble in April when he faced Chazz Witherspoon. In the first round, Mitchell appeared to have done that. He worked the jab from the outside and had Banks holding after every landed right hand. Banks remained composed and landed one counter corkscrew right off a Mitchell miss. That punch started Mitchell’s downfall in the second, as Mitchell lunged in with an errant right that was countered with a short right hook and clubbing left that destroyed Mitchell’s equilibrium.
Mitchell tried to hold on at the waist but Banks quickly pushed him off and sent him crashing into the ropes with a series of power shots. Mitchell rose and couldn’t hold effectively under Banks’ barrage. Mitchell attempt to fight out of the danger resulted in further left and right hooks for a second knockdown. Rising again, Mitchell was badly staggered by another left hook and quickly sent careening back to the canvas to prompt the referee stoppage.
Banks, coming off an emotional week in having to attend Emanuel Steward’s funeral just a few days ago, dedicated the fight to his former mentor. Mitchell, who has suffered his first defeat, vowed to continue his dream to become heavyweight champion.
“He caught me,” Mitchell admitted. “I threw a looping shot and reached. He did what he was supposed to do.”
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Huge win for Johnathon Banks. It would be surreal for him to face Wladimir Klitschko, the man he currently trains. But hey, business is business, and Banks made it clear he’s up for it. As for Mitchell, he made some of the same mistakes he made against Witherspoon, except this time he was in with a better fighter that could exploit it. Now comes the real test. Does Mitchell have the intestinal fortitude to bounce back from a crushing defeat? The road back to convincing fans and some writers, who’ve already begun on message boards and articles stating Mitchell was an overhyped HBO creation, is a long, tough climb. The work begins now.
What are your thoughts? Can Mitchell come back and be a force, or have we seen his ceiling as a fighter?
Beats, Boxing and Mayhem 
gonna be interesting seeing how banks is gonna maneuver in the heavyweight division now, being cool with the klitschkos… i wanna see him fight david price
speaking of uk guys, i wanna see ricky burns fight broner, did i see it right, kendrick lamar come to the ring with him??? sure it was him