Saturday, September 7 was a night where we may have seen two Beltway Boxing careers end. One we knew about; the other we knew could end but hoped -- maybe against logic -- wouldn't.
We knew Scott Sigmon was calling it quits win or lose after his bout with Phil Jackson Benson at Rosecroft Raceway. Sigmon said that before the bout and the beating he took made that point abundantly clear.
However, it should also be time for Seth Mitchell to call it a career as a heavyweight boxer. His crushing first-round defeat at the fists of Chris Arreola Saturday night in Indio, CA proved that seemingly beyond any doubt.
Frankly, Mitchell should be given a whole lot of credit for what he has accomplished. He made a smooth transition from football to pro boxing maybe better than anyone in the history of the game. Even more successful football players like Ed "Too Tall" Jones, Mark Gastineau, Alonzo Highsmith and Craig Woffley did not reach the level of legitimacy that Mitchell earned. Those four and others liked them were only names to sell tickets because of their fame on the gridiron. Mitchell, because of his athletic ability and maturity, achieved much more -- a legitimate top five ranking, a signing with a major promotional company and respect from many in the boxing world.
However, Mitchell has hit a ceiling and his recent performances (namely against Chazz Witherspoon, the two bouts with Johnathon Banks and Arreola) proved that it will be virtually impossible to break through. Mitchell simply does not have the chin to advance against the harder punchers in the division.
Golden Boy did not do a lot of promotion for Mitchell's bout against Arreola. One lone representative from Golden Boy's media department showed up at his media workout in Clinton, MD and nothing was done in California until the week of the bout and that was hastily put together. This gave the impression that Golden Boy was not completely behind their fighter going into this contest. Now that it's over, it's hard to fathom that Golden Boy will be able to market Mitchell at this stage. To quote the legendary basketball philosopher Michael Ray Richardson, "the ship be sinking."
In fact, the Mitchell voyage has already gone down. It didn't go down without a fight, however, and Mitchell's achievements in the sport should be honored.
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