Seth Mitchell Seeks Redemption Against Johnathon Banks

Photos by Tom Casino for SHOWTIME

by Gautham Nagesh

Boxing is not an easy beat. Trust me, I’ve covered my share. Chasing lawmakers through the halls of Congress is a piece of cake compared to prying something resembling the truth from a boxing promoter or manager. Credible sources are few and far between in the Sweet Science, and fake news spreads quickly.

But the hardest part of writing about boxing has undoubtedly been staying impartial, especially after covering a fighter for a while. At some point, after enough fights and media workouts and mundane interviews featuring the same standard answers about training camp, something resembling real human interaction takes place. And some people just get along better. That doesn’t change how we write about a fighter, but it can affect how we feel privately about their successes and failures.

We try to be open about such biases by referring to these fighters as friends of the blog, or staff favorites, or something similar. No one deserves that moniker more than heavyweight Seth “Mayhem” Mitchell (above). whose rise to national prominence coincided neatly with the establishment of this site. Mitchell will attempt to avenge the only loss of his career on Saturday at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn against Johnathon Banks of Detroit (below). I will be ringside, doing my best to cling to our antiquated notions about journalistic objectivity.

It’s fair to say no fighter has garnered more coverage from our site than Mitchell, a testament to both the lure of a promising American heavyweight and his unique path from the football field at Michigan State to the prizefighting ring. Mitchell is not just a great story, he’s a genuine, decent human being, one that handles the spotlight with class and grace. And I say that knowing just how foolish such statements can look after just one misstep by the celebrity in question.

Working with Seth is professional and painless, something that can rarely be said about covering the boxing world. His team is endlessly positive, his aura is one of a family man and provider just grateful for a second chance at athletic success. If his humility was forced, I’d like to think it would have shown by now. Especially after he was brutally stopped by Banks last November.

But there was Mitchell, nodding his head in agreement with Banks at the post-fight press conference and referring to the fight as a learning opportunity. At the time, I observed to my colleague and friend Tim Starks that unlike fighters, football players are taught how to accept losing and move on. Perhaps Mitchell’s lack of a traditional boxing background would help him overcome an otherwise debilitating setback.

Now I believe Mitchell is just an exceptionally self-assured individual, one with enough inner confidence to believe he can overcome whatever exterior hurdles are put in his way. Why else would he rush back into a rematch with Banks?

“I believe in myself more than anyone else. That’s my nature and character,” Mitchell told reporters at Tuesday’s media workout. “I’ve said it numerous times that if Banks had outclassed me and out-boxed me for five or six rounds then we wouldn’t have this immediate rematch. I feel like I am a better fighter than Johnathon Banks.”

Unsurprisingly, Banks doesn’t see it the same way. Nor can we blame him. Banks is a year younger than Mitchell, but no one talks about the slick, powerful Detroiter as the the future of the heavyweight division as they touted Mitchell before his loss. A single stoppage loss to Tomasz Adamek at cruiserweight and a split draw with journeyman Jason Gavern in May 2010 were enough to banish Banks to the sidelines of the boxing world, until he re-emerged as a rung on Mitchell’s ladder to a title shot.

“I don’t consider the last fight with Mitchell an upset,” Banks said. “For me to say it was an upset would be a discredit to myself. I don’t like upsets in my life. If I didn’t think 100 percent that I was going to win, I wouldn’t have taken the fight.”

If Banks’ dynamic stoppage of Mitchell was a shock to most, it hardly surprised the denizens of Kronk Gym in Detroit, where Banks came up under the tutelage of the late, great Emanuel Steward. Banks was close enough to Steward to live with him for a period and take over the training of heavyweight kingpin Wladimir Klitschko following the Steward’s death last year. Schooled by Steward from a young age, Banks is as skilled and capable in the ring as any big man this side of Eddie Chambers. 

A fast, small heavyweight with power would seem to be the perfect foil for Mitchell, who was exposed as hittable during his thrilling win over Chazz Witherspoon last April. One would have thought that a series of large, slow European heavyweights would have been the ideal preparation for an eventual shot at Klitschko, but Mitchell’s team instead ended up with Banks, whose wealth of boxing knowledge stood in stark contrast to Seth’s relatively recent entry into the game.

Perhaps HBO, influenced by Steward, insisted on Banks as an opponent. Maybe Mitchell’s handlers made the same mistake as most and underestimated the foe from Detroit because of his low profile and lack of national exposure. They wouldn’t be the first to make that mistake. Regardless, it’s academic now. The fight was signed, and Mitchell controlled the first round with his immense size and strength. By the start of the 2nd, it looked like one of Seth’s massive paws would split Banks like a tree.

Mitchell has tremendous power and his shots looked to be affecting Banks whenever they landed. The bass in those blows might have been too re-assuring, as Mitchell appeared to throw caution to the wind after landing a hard right to the body in the 2nd. He over-extended for a right hand and missed, leaving himself exposed for a counter from the Motown native. Banks bounced off the ropes and pummeled Mitchell with a combination; the rest is history.

“Banks capitalized on some of my mistakes and got the victory,” Mitchell said. “I just had to go back to the drawing board and take it as a learning experience to try to get better.

I truly believe that I’ve gotten better, but I’m not one to talk a lot because everyone says that they’ve gotten better. I just have to go out there Saturday and show it,” he added.

So how will things go on Saturday night? It’s unlikely that Banks will have slowed down considerably in just 8 months, or that Mitchell will suddenly morph into Pernell Whitaker. But the fight was postponed after Banks hurt his hand, so that factor alone should add some uncertainty to the outcome. Mitchell has also shown an extraordinary learning curve in boxing, so we believe the extra time in the gym will help his development.

In truth, Banks remains a difficult matchup for Mitchell. The Detroiter’s win was no fluke, and he could easily reproduce the result if Mitchell gets over-eager again. Banks will probably start out cautiously again, and wait for Mitchell to make a mistake. If he does, Banks has already shown the ability to capitalize. There’s no reason Banks should be a significant underdog at the sports book.

“I’ve always been a believer of ‘if something’s not broke why try to fix it.’  I think what I did last time worked perfectly and I plan to do the same thing this time,” Banks said.

Mitchell has the tools to win if he sticks with his jab and avoids exchanges where Banks can beat him to the punch. A few good bodyshots would slow the smaller Banks down considerably, but the most important ingredient for Mitchell is to avoid underestimating his opponent again. The last loss was precipitated after Mitchell believed he had hurt Banks and went for the kill. In this fight, he must stay alert at all times and let the knockout come in the natural course of the fight.

“I feel that November 17 was not the best Seth Mitchell to show up and on the 22nd, I’ll show that I am a much better fighter,” Mitchell said. "I’ll show that you can lose and bounce back.“

"A lot of people still think this guy could come back because they listen to what he’s saying. He’s talking more than I am. He’s saying he’s coming back bigger, better, stronger, but I believe you’re going to see the same thing as the last time,” Banks said.

As I alluded to above, remaining objective for this fight has been difficult, but avoiding any emotional involvement is impossible. Banks is a Detroit native, a product of Kronk Gym, and a favorite of Emanuel Steward. For all those reasons, he fits squarely in the sweet spot of fighters we would normally favor. Mitchell is one of the brightest lights of the DMV boxing scene, and someone I have worked with closely during his rise. His career has tracked closely with my own, and I can’t pretend to not respect him a great deal.

I therefore cannot make a prediction without it either influencing my coverage or betraying some attachment to either fighter. What we will predict is a cracker of a fight for as long as it lasts, a real heavyweight contest between two men looking to destroy each other. I can also predict with full confidence that this fight won’t last the scheduled 12 rounds. Two men will enter the ring, but only one will be standing at the final bell. The winner will be a player in the heavyweight division and in line for a shot at Klitschko. The loser will struggle to reach this level again.

We’ll be ringside in Brooklyn for the show, which will be headlined by Paulie Malignaggi vs Adrien Broner at lightweight. We’ll have more on that fight and the rest of the card in our weekend preview. Follow us on Twitter for updates on fight night, which will be full of anxiety and misgivings, no matter who wins.