By James Slater: Seen by some good judges as the best, most promising young heavyweight currently making a name for himself in the U.S, is unbeaten 29-year-old Seth “Mayhem” Mitchell. The 6’2,” approx 240-pounder from Brandywine, Maryland has impressed with quick stoppage wins over the likes of Johnnie White (TKO2), Derrick Brown (KO1), Evans Quinn (KO1) and, last time out, Hector Ferreira (TKO3). And now, according to Dan Rafael’s weekly notebook over on ESPN.com, the next fight being worked on for Mitchell is one against the experienced Chazz Witherspoon..
The plan is for the heavyweight bout to go ahead on the under-card of the Dec. 10th Amir Khan-Lamont Peterson card in Washington, D.C.
A decent step up for Mitchell, 23-0-1(17), the December fight might well tell us more about “Mayhem’s” long term chances of reaching the top. So far, Mitchell has displayed power and speed and a natural aggression. Witherspoon, a big guy at 6’4” and around 235, will represent the toughest test yet for the up-and-comer. The cousin of former two-time heavyweight ruler Tim Witherspoon must first win his scheduled Oct. 22nd fight against Ty Cobb (on paper a relatively straightforward win for the 28-2(20) contender) – and if he does, it will likely be Witherspoon-Mitchell next.
Winner of his last two, both by stoppage, Witherspoon has rebounded after losing to both Chris Arreola and, more recently, Tony Thompson. Both men stopped “The Gentleman” (although officially Arreola won via DQ back in June of 2008), but it would be a big result for Mitchell if he were to get a stoppage win of his own. Witherspoon is not the fastest guy out there, but he is durable and he can bang some.
An impressive win over 30-year-old Witherspoon could be the start of some big things for Mitchell. The plan is for Mitchell-Witherspoon to open the HBO-televised show in December, and the fight will give Mitchell (and Witherspoon, come to that) good exposure.
Witherspoon’s extra experience may well be key in the fight – Chazz has gone eight rounds or more on six occasions, Mitchell has gone past six rounds just once – but Mitchell’s youth and aggression should get him the win. Witherspoon doesn’t figure to get taken out as fast as Mitchell’s recent opponents were, and a good case can be made for the Philadelphia man causing the upset, but a Mitchell late stoppage looks a good bet.
A must-win fight for both men, hopefully the heavyweight will result in some T.V-friendly fireworks as fans settle in for the main event between Khan and Peterson.