Fight Preview (September 7th)

Seth Mitchell vs. Chris Arreola 

For casual boxing fans the only division that really matters is the heavyweight division.  Well, many casual fans have probably never heard of Seth Mitchell or Chris Arreola but they will be fighting a 12 round heavyweight bout this Saturday night on Showtime.  They may not be the biggest names in the business but they are always fun to watch and when they enter the ring anything is possible be it a knockout win or stunning knockout loss.  This fight may not be pretty but it will be a lot of fun.

Not to long ago Seth Mitchell was being touted as the best American heavyweight prospect in the sport, that was until his stunning TKO loss at the hands of Johnathon Banks.  Mitchell was dropped three times in the 2nd round of that fight forcing the referee to stop the fight.  Mitchell was also somewhat exposed when he fought Chazz Witherspoon who also had him hurt before Mitchell ultimately won.  The bright side of things for Mitchell is the fact that he beat Banks in a

Mitchell's TKO loss to Banks

rematch by the way of unanimous decision showing that he has learned a few things since his loss.  Mitchell has a career record of 26-1-1 with 19 knockouts with his only loss being that TKO to Banks.  There is little question that Mitchell is the most athletic heavyweight in the world, being that he was a linebacker at Michigan State University before injuries ultimately derailed his football career.  Mitchell has relied on that athleticism for most of his career, he is a come forward style fighter who looks to throw everything with lethal force and worries little about defense.  Now that style may have been successful against second tier fighters but if Mitchell hopes to beat a very skilled Arreola he will need to box more and brawl less.  But Mitchell can't completely abandon his brawler style.  It will serve him well to try and muscle up Arreola and work on the inside all night, he just needs to make sure his focuses on his defense as well as his offense.

Across the ring Arreola will be looking to get back on track following a bloody loss to Bermane Stiverne that saw Arreola leave the ring with a badly broken nose.  Arreola is one of the most active heavyweights in the division which comes as a

Arreola suffers a bad broken nose against Stiverne

surprise considering that he is also one of the most out of shape heavyweights in the division.  Arreola fights like a much smaller man, his hands stay busy all night and he loves to throw big combinations.  Much like Mitchell, he focuses his efforts more on his offense and can sometimes be exposed defensively.  One thing is for sure, Arreola is by far the more experienced fighter.  He holds a career record of 35-3 with a very impressive 30 knockouts.  Arreola has fought some of the best heavyweights in the world including Vitali Klitschko and Tomasz Adamek.  Arreola was stopped by Klitschko but gave Adamek all he could handle before losing an extremely close fight.  Arreola isn't opposed to fighting on the inside but he is more effective when he stays on the outside and uses his jab to set up his explosive combinations.

This fight should prove to be all action from start to however long it lasts.  Both men are offense first fighters, something that fans always love to see.  This is also a very tough fight to predict the outcome of.  From looking at both fighters it would seem Mitchell has the advantage, he is athletic and built like a brick wall.  Arreola on the other hand is built like the Michelin Man, but looks can be deceiving.  Arreola should be the more active fighter throwing and landing more punches throughout the fight.  Arreola will look to keep his distance from Mitchell and steadily work his jab all night while Mitchell will try to bully Arreola on the inside and land something big upstairs.  While Arreola will throw a ton of punches and combinations Mitchell will be looking for that homerun shot.  Mitchell may land that shot but Arreola has a solid chin and should be able to outbox the former football player.

PREDICTION: Chris Arreola will just be too busy and experienced for Mitchell to overcome.  I see Arreola winning a very entertaining fight via 7th round knockout.

Rafael Marquez vs. Efrain Esquivias 

The other fight this Saturday night will be at the other end of the weight spectrum.  It will be a 10 round affair in the junior featherweight division.  The fight will feature two fighters looking to climb back up the rankings in an absolutely loaded division that includes names such as Guillermo Rigondeaux, Nonito Donaire, and Leo Santa Cruz.  Those two fighters will be Mexican legend Rafael Marquez and fringe prospect Efrain Esquivias.  

Marquez is a name that big time boxing fans should know well.  He is a legend of the sport who has been fighting professionally since 1995.  Marquez didn't become a legend by his excellent skill level, instead he took the hard route becoming a legend by being involved in numerous wars throughout his career.  At 38 years old Marquez has a career record of 41-8 with an astonishing 37 knockouts for someone in such a low weight class.  However of his 8 losses 6 of them have come by the way of knockout.  Marquez is best known for his four fights against Israel Vazquez including three

Marquez trading punches with Vasquez

in a row, in those four legendary fights Marquez has a record of 2-2.  But that first fight was six years ago and the last fight was three years ago and Marquez isn't the same fighter he was then.  Marquez is an all action, all offense style of fighter which is highlighted by his high knockout rate.  Something that Marquez isn't, is a good defensive fighter and considering all the wars he has been involved in Marquez is 38 going on 50.  At this point in his career Marquez is still fun to watch but he is a toss up fighter going 5-5 in his last ten fights.  Luckily for Marquez he is in the ring with a fighter who has not been impressive since stepping up his level of competition.     

That fighter is Esquivias who started out his career very hot winning all of his first 16 bouts.  Then his team decided it was time for Esquivias to take a step up in competition and see just how good he really was.  Well the verdict might already be in and it turns out Esquivias isn't all that great.  His career record now stands at 16-2-1 with 9 knockouts and in his last 3 fights he holds a record of 0-2-1.  What is really alarming is that the two losses came against Rico Ramos and Jhonatan Romero, both good high quality fighters but not world class by any stretch of the imagination.  Esquivias is a guy who likes to fight on the inside and works very well when he can get there.  He loves to get his opponent up against the ropes and work hard to the body.  Unfortunately Esquivias is not very effective in the middle of the ring and takes a lot of punches.  Esquivias would never be described as a boxer, he is all brawler and he knows it.  The problem for Esquivias is that he is in the ring with another guy who likes to brawl and his opponents has much more power.

This fight may feature one fighter who is passed his prime and another who will never be at an elite level but I guarantee it will be a ton of fun for the fans.  Neither one of these fighters cares much about defense and both seem to take pride in being labeled a brawler.  The real question here is how much of a toll all the wars Marquez has been involved in have taken on his career.  He could come out and look very old especially if Esquivias gets off to a fast start.  But if Esquivias wants to brawl Marquez might welcome him with open arms, and a deadly straight right hand.  The action should be fast and it would be a surprise if the fight lasted all 10 rounds.

PREDICTION: Rafael Marquez may be damaged goods but he is still good enough to beat Esquivias.  Marquez will get the victory via 6th round knockout.