by David P. Greisman

His last fight was crucial for putting his career back on track. And while every bout is important for any prospect seeking to become a contender, and for any contender seeking to challenge for a world title, Seth Mitchell recognizes just how important his upcoming match with Chris Arreola will be.

Then came a shocking second-round stoppage last November at the hands of Johnathon Banks.

Mitchell fought Banks again this past June, winning their rematch via unanimous decision broadcast on Showtime. And it is on that network that Mitchell will meet Arreola on a Sept. 7 show at the Fantasy Springs Casino in Indio, Calif.

Mitchell, 31, is 26-1-1 with 19 knockouts. Arreola, 32, is 35-3 with 30 knockouts and is coming off a unanimous decision loss to Bermane Stiverne, a bout in which Arreola had to come up from the canvas following a third-round knockdown.

Mitchell spoke to BoxingScene.com on Aug. 6.

BoxingScene.com: Why Chris Arreola, and why now?

Mitchell: “I think it’s a good fight. You know, it’s a fight that I wanted a while back, but it never was brought up. It was a fight that I talked amongst my camp. I would say that it’s a good fight and a possible fight. It just so happens that it’s happening now. And I’m excited about it, man. I think it’s a good fight for the fans. I think our styles mesh well. And I’m excited and I’m ready for the fight.”

BoxingScene.com: You said it was a fight you wanted a while back. Why?

Mitchell: “I want challenges. I want big fights. And it’s a fight that I just felt confident in my ability to win. I feel the same way now. I even feel better; I think over the last year I’ve gotten a lot more experience. I’ve gotten better. Even though I’m still learning, I continue to get better. But it’s just a fight that our styles mesh, and I think it’s a good fight for the fans. And it’s a fight that gets my adrenaline going. It gets me up and ready.”

BoxingScene.com: I imagine there’s a personal side to this as well. Chris Arreola hasn’t been saying some very nice things about you in interviews. How aware are you of the things he’s been saying about you over these months and years?

Mitchell: “I mean, I’m very aware, but that stuff right there, it doesn’t bother me. It doesn’t phase me. That’s just envy and hate, you know what I mean? That’s all that is. The fact of the matter is on the sixth, he’s going to have a good opportunity to prove everything he’s been saying. So he’s just putting more pressure on himself. That’s fine with me. But he’s going to have to back it up. He’s going to have to back it up on the sixth. I notice and I hear a lot of stuff that he says, but I don’t respond. That’s just him. I’ll be ready to fight on the sixth, though.”

BoxingScene.com: What did you think of his comments that you’re going to need to bring your football helmet, or the fact that you’re a football player and not a boxer? I imagine that you take umbrage to that characterization of you as an athlete.

Mitchell: “Yeah, man. Hey, his trainer talks more than he talks. So it’s all good. It doesn’t hurt my feelings. It doesn’t make  me sad. I lose no sleep at night over it. If anything, it’s just fuel. It adds fuel to the fire. He’s just going to have to be ready on the sixth. Him and his trainer, they can talk all they want. It doesn’t matter to me. Yeah, I’m an athlete. That’s what I am. I’ve always stood out in athletics. I’m going to stand out on the sixth, too.”

BoxingScene.com: When you say that you’re confident in your ability to win, what do you think about Chris Arreola as a fighter?

Mitchell: “I don’t think he’s a bad fighter. I think he’s a crowd-pleasing fighter. I think he has good power. He lets his hands go. And he comes forward. Even in the fights that he’s lost, he’s never really in a boring fight. That’s a plus. That’s good. That’s a good thing for me. Those are his strengths. I don’t want to get too much into his weaknesses, because I don’t want to give my game plan away. But those are his strengths. He throws a lot of punches. He has good power. And he puts on exciting fights. But I don’t think he’s going to do anything that I’m unaware of or that surprises me.”

BoxingScene.com: You’ve mentioned multiple times that this is going to be a crowd-pleasing fight and that your styles mesh well. I think I know the answer to this, but why is that important to you to be in a crowd-pleasing fight for your next fight?

Mitchell: “I always want to be in crowd-pleasing fights. And I know that my last fight wasn’t necessarily a crowd-pleasing fight. I don’t think it was a bad fight, but it wasn’t a crowd-pleasing fight. It was a fight that at that time in my career, I needed to win that fight. Johnathon [Banks] isn’t a fighter who comes forward. He’s a counter-puncher. I just needed to win the fight. I won the fight on my jab. That’s just what I did.

“But I seriously doubt this fight is going to have the same form, the same shape as the Johnathon Banks fight, simply because Chris Arreola is a bull and he comes forward. He throws a lot of punches. He’s going to make me fight him. But we have our great game plan that my trainer, Andre Hunter, is putting together. I can’t wait to go out there and follow through with the game plan and get the W.”

BoxingScene.com: What did you think of Chris Arreola’s loss to Bermane Stiverne earlier this year?

Mitchell: “I thought he got whooped the whole fight. I mean, there’s nothing else to think about it. I thought he would’ve gotten knocked out if there was more time in the third round. That’s just what it was. I can’t remember him winning a round. Maybe he won one or two rounds out of 12 rounds.”

BoxingScene.com: Do you think he’s slipping compared to where he was a few years ago?

Mitchell: “I wouldn’t necessarily say he’s slipping. I think he’s not as serious, and that’s indicative of he comes in at 235 and then he comes in at 255. I think his conditioning, he doesn’t take it seriously. That’s one of the things that I think about. I think that he can fight, but I just don’t think he has the discipline.”

BoxingScene.com: That’s not the Arreola you’re preparing for, obviously. You’re getting ready for the best Arreola.

Mitchell: “Absolutely. I’m expecting him to come in in shape. And I want him to be in shape. I want no excuses. He won’t have no excuses from me. So I want no excuses from him, from the media, from anybody. I want him to be the best Chris Arreola that he can possibly be on that night.”

BoxingScene.com: What does this fight mean for your career, and even for both of your careers?

Mitchell: “I think it’s a big fight for both of our careers. It’s a do-or-die fight. When I say that, I don’t mean that if you lose this fight, your career is over. But it is a huge, huge setback. Boxing is unforgiving. I don’t know about other people, but I’m in this business to support my family and to get compensated for what I do. And ultimately have my opportunity to fight for a world title and become heavyweight champion.

“A loss here just sets those plans back a year, a year and a half, two years, and that’s just not something that I want to deal with right now. That’s what I mean when I say it’s a do-or-die fight. A loss here means my victory over Johnathon Banks means nothing in my eyes. I’m going to be prepared. I’m very motivated for this fight. I know Chris is motivated as well. But I think I’m just bringing too much for the table.”

BoxingScene.com: This is a pretty quick turnaround for you from your last fight. Is this the right timing, or would you have preferred for this bout to come later?

Mitchell: “Perfect timing. I would like to fight, even if I was at the pinnacle of my sport, I would like to fight three times a year. I think my last two fights has been two fights in 13 months due to injuries to myself and to my opponent, and then not being able to find an opponent for the main event for Adrien Broner. I definitely don’t like that inactivity.

“I like to fight. I like to stay in the ring and I’d just like to continue getting better. This is not something that I want to do forever. Another five or six years, and hopefully I can hang it up and start another chapter in my life. I want to stay busy. I think this is perfect timing. And once I win this fight, if I could with no injuries, I would like to fight again this year, maybe sometime in December.”

BoxingScene.com: Any final thoughts for people reading this?

Mitchell: “I just ask people to definitely tune in. This is going to be an interesting fight on Sept. [7] in California with myself and Chris Arreola. Everybody get excited about it. I’m excited about it. Definitely tune in. And they can follow me on Twitter (@SethMayhem48) and on Facebook.”

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