Seth Mitchell: Looking Forward to Getting Back in Ring

by David P. Greisman

In reality, Seth Mitchell hasn’t been out of the ring that long — his last appearance was less than four months ago.

But that bout was his first pro loss, a defeat that saw the 30-year-old heavyweight knocked down multiple times and stopped in less than two rounds by Johnathon Banks on HBO.

Mitchell was supposed to return last month on the undercard to Adrien Broner’s win over Gavin Rees. That bout would have been a rematch with Banks, a chance for Mitchell to get back his loss and attempt to bring his career back on track. Yet Banks suffered a training injury, and Mitchell had to settle for watching the HBO card instead of being on it.

NOTE: When Mitchell spoke with BoxingScene.com in mid-February, it was just days after that Broner-Rees card. With a few weeks having passed since this interview, it’s reasonable to assume that Mitchell could be getting closer to knowing when (and against whom) his next appearance could be.

BoxingScene.com: What were you feeling as you watched Adrien Broner vs. Gavin Rees when you were supposed to be fighting on that card?

Mitchell: “It was rough. It was funny, because I was talking to my wife, and I was like, ‘I’d be riding over to the arena right now,’ because usually I have to head over to the arena at about 8 o’clock. I looked at the clock and I was like, ‘Man I’d be starting to get my hands wrapped right now.’ So it was a little frustrating that I wasn’t out there getting ready to perform. But it is what it is. Things happen. But it wasn’t a pleasant feeling at all.”

BoxingScene.com: How disappointed were you at Johnathon Banks getting injured just a couple weeks before the fight was supposed to happen?

Mitchell: “I was very disappointed, but at the same time, I know these things happen in boxing. You just have to deal with it. I was hoping they could’ve found an opponent for me. But I figured that would’ve been unlikely, being that it was less than two weeks before the fight. I just had to stay focused and not let my emotions take over, and continue to stay in the mind frame, continue to train. That’s what I’ve been doing. I’ve stayed in the gym and have just been waiting on my next date.”

BoxingScene.com: What’s the word on what’s next? Is it still Banks, or something else?

Mitchell: “I’m not sure. I definitely want the fight, but I don’t know how long I’ll be out. I know myself personally I wouldn’t want to wait three or four months before I fought again, if that’s how long it’s going to take him to heal up. If it’s going to take 6 to 8 weeks with no contact at all, and then you add another 6 to 8 weeks on to that for him to get ready for a fight. I wouldn’t want to sit out that long. But I just have to wait and see what happens.”

BoxingScene.com: At the same time, he sat out and waited for you when you were coming back from your injury last year.

Mitchell: “Right. But he sat out for six weeks, and then the date kept getting changed. I was ready to fight in early September. We were supposed to fight on July 14, and then we found out that I wasn’t able to fight, but I was ready to fight in September and the date just kept getting pushed back.”

BoxingScene.com: You’d understandably want him next, to get that defeat back. Is it any way a blessing in disguise that you can spend more time in the gym and get your preparations down pat, given the changes that you wanted to make prior to the rematch?

Mitchell: “Even though it’s disappointing that the fight didn’t happen, I’m a firm believer that everything happens for a reason. So I’m just going to continue to get better, continue to work harder, and when the fight happens, it happens. Everything happens for a reason. It could be a blessing in disguise. I was ready to fight, but you know, we didn’t fight.”

BoxingScene.com: Are you worried about being able to get back on HBO, that this might’ve been a lost opportunity, or have there been reassurances that you’ll be able to get back on the network?

Mitchell: “No, I’m not worried at all. I’ll be back on HBO my next fight. Or if it’s not the next fight, if my fight isn’t against Johnathon Banks because it takes him too long to heal, I’ll do what I need to do in my next fight, and I’ll be back on the network soon, if not my next fight.”

BoxingScene.com: Normally when I ask you about other fighters, you tell me you’re only focused on your next opponent. But given the fact that it might not be Johnathon Banks, who else might you be interested in fighting?

Mitchell: “It doesn’t matter. I definitely learned a lot from this fight against Johnathon Banks. I definitely want to fight Johnathon Banks. I definitely want him to be my next opponent. At the same time, I don’t want to wait another three or four months before I have to step in the ring. But I learned a lot from my fight. I don’t know who my next opponent is going to be. Hopefully I’ll get that information within that next week or so. I’ve gotten better, and I just can’t wait to get into the ring.”

BoxingScene.com: How have you gotten better?

Mitchell: “Just being a smarter fighter, knowing that I’ve got speed, I’ve got power, I can change the fight at any moment. Just being smarter, controlling my balance and my distance, being a better fighter, taking my time, staying behind my jab a lot more, getting better at defense. Things I’ve known before, but sometimes you have to go through things for a big change to happen. I believe that’s happened. That’s why I’m just excited to show how much I’ve improved.”

BoxingScene.com: If it’s not Banks, what do you think about a fight with Bryant Jennings, another American heavyweight?

Mitchell: “I would be willing to fight him. I’m not ducking any fighter out there. That’s a fight that I would like to see. That’s a fight that I think the public would want. But it’s ultimately up to my team. Whatever they decide, I just got to prepare and be ready.”

BoxingScene.com: What do you think of him as a fighter?

Mitchell: “I think he’s a good fighter. I think he has an awkward style. He moves a lot, but he throws punches in bunches and he has an extremely long reach. But I definitely feel like it would be a good fight, and I feel that I would win the fight. If it happens, it happens. I welcome the fight, though.”

BoxingScene.com: You went away to the mountains this time for training camp, didn’t you?

Mitchell: “Yes, I went up to Lynchburg, Va.”

BoxingScene.com: Were you away from your family the whole time?

Mitchell: “I was away for a month. That was the longest I’ve ever been away from them. So it was difficult, but this is my job. This is just something that I had to do. I coped with it well and got a lot of good training out there. I think it was a good thing.”

BoxingScene.com: That’s the silver lining, I guess. You went away from your family and didn’t get to fight, but at least you were able to improve some.

Mitchell: “Yes. I knew what I had to work on after my last fight, and we would’ve worked on that here, but it just took me away from my environment, took me away from the responsibilities, the fatherly things that I do, such as getting up in the morning, fixing the kids breakfast, taking them to day care, picking them up from day care. It was probably more rest — when I’m here I’m still training, I’m still running, but I’m also participating, going on field trips with my daughter and things of that nature, just being a husband and a father.”

BoxingScene.com: Do you think you’d want to go far away for training camp again, or would you prefer to stay home?

Mitchell: “Probably not for every training camp, but for certain fights. I wouldn’t oppose it, but it’s not something that I thought was necessary because of not being focused or anything like that. But it definitely didn’t hurt me, I would say.”

BoxingScene.com: So what did you think of Adrien Broner’s performance against Gavin Rees?

Mitchell: “Adrien Broner, he’s the man. I think he’s got all the tools. I think he put on another stellar performance, stopping a guy inside of five rounds. He’s a star in the making. I think you’re going to be hearing his name for quite a long time.”

BoxingScene.com: I know you appeared on one card with him last November and would’ve been appearing on another card. Do you want to continue to fight under him to hitch onto his horse and hopefully put on performances while he’s getting big audiences?

Mitchell: “It’s not a bad thing. Me and Adrien got a good rapport, a good relationship. Eventually I want to be headlining the cards, but to fight on his undercards is a great experience. A lot of people tune in to watch myself. A lot of people tune in to watch him. Sooner or later, I don’t think it’ll be long before I’m headlining cards.”

BoxingScene.com: Any final thoughts?

Mitchell: “For all my fans and my supporters, I’ll be back in the ring soon. We’ll have to wait and see. Definitely continue to keep me in your prayers, and follow me on Twitter (@SethMayhem48) and on Facebook. I’m looking forward to getting back in the ring.”

David P. Greisman is a member of the Boxing Writers Association of America. Follow David on Twitter @fightingwords2 or send questions/comments via email at fightingwords1@gmail.com