Who Next For Seth Mitchell? De La Hoya Mentions Michael Grant’s Name

By James Slater: Fresh off his exciting, back-from-the-brink TKO win over Chazz Witherspoon, unbeaten U.S heavyweight Seth Mitchell and his team are making plans for the next step in the Brandywine warrior’s career. There is talk of “Mayhem” returning in September, and co-promoter Oscar De La Hoya of Golden Boy spoke briefly about who it might be the 29-year-old former football player goes in with next.

De La Hoya, as quoted by Ringtv.com, said the team will have to sit down and find the right opponent, yet the name of Michael Grant came out. As a continued learning fight, Grant, 48-4(36) would possibly prove to be an ideal opponent.

Grant may be getting on in years at age 39, yet he can still fight. It’s been a long, long time since anyone has stopped “Big” – Dominick Guinn way back in 2003 – and Grant has won his last two fights by stoppage. While before that, he proved competitive in dropping a decision to Poland’s Tomasz Adamek. Grant would also be the biggest (6’7″ approx 250-pounds), most experienced guy of Mitchell’s pro career.

If Mitchell were to tighten up his defences, box smart and score a stoppage over Grant, he would make something of a statement. Grant can still bang (Tye Fields and, last time out, Frans Botha were both sent to the canvas in losing to the former world title challenger, and even if these two are far from top-10 material, Grant has at least been busy), and Mitchell was there to be hit by Witherspoon on Saturday. Mitchell, for all his defensive flaws, would be made a pretty big favourite to beat Grant if the fight got made, yet no-one could call it a bad match-up.

Mitchell, as we know, is a work in progress, and a fight with big Michael Grant would help him on his way towards what he hopes will be a world title shot of his own. Mitchell is still many miles away from being capable of rumbling with the Klitschkos, much less of beating one of them, yet he remains the best unbeaten American heavyweight out there.

De La Hoya and co will move him intelligently. A fight with Grant makes all the sense in the world. After that fight (assuming all goes well), Mitchell would then perhaps be ready for a top-10-ranked fighter.