Boxing
'Mayhem' Mitchell Prepares For His Pro Debut
By Carla Peay and Sharif Salim
Nov 3, 2007

Mitchell lands a left uppercut to the jaw of opponent Adam Kownacki on the way to a 3rd round TKO. Photo by Mike Greenhill.

MARYLAND -- By day, Seth Mitchell patrols the halls of Drew Freeman Middle School in Suitland, Maryland, working with students as a Crisis Intervention Specialist. By night, Mitchell is busy knocking out opponents in the ring.

Although Mitchell has been boxing for less than a year, his power and skill in the ring has already caught the attention of some of boxing’s major players, several of whom are lining up in anticipation of Mitchell’s pro debut in January of 2008.

“I feel great about turning pro. I’m very excited. I plan to take it slow at first, and I know I still have a lot to learn,” Mitchell said.

At Mitchell’s last bout, held at DuBurns Arena in Baltimore on Oct. 12, boxing legend Lou Duva had made the trip to see Mitchell’s opponent, Adam Kownacki, out of New York. After Mitchell put Kownacki down in a third round TKO, Duva took the time to meet Mitchell, and was effusive in his praise of Mitchell’s talent.

“This kid is already the complete package. When I found out that Seth has only been fighting competitively for eight months, I nearly hit the floor. No one develops that quickly unless he has God given talents. He’s extremely committed and extremely coachable,” Duva said.

Mitchell spars with trainer Andre Hunter at Old School Gym in Clinton, Md.

In just nine career fights, Mitchell has a record of 8-1, with all victories the result of a knockout or TKO. His lone defeat came against the second ranked super heavyweight in the country, Abodunrin Akinyanju, in a closely scored fourth round decision.

A graduate of Michigan State University, where he was a standout middle linebacker headed for a career in the NFL, the course of Mitchell’s athletic career was changed after suffering a knee injury, and Mitchell decided to take his athletic ability from the gridiron to the ring. 

“In football, when you play different reams, you learn the tricks and the quirks of their offense, and you have to take what you learn in the meeting room out onto the field. In boxing, I’m taking what I learn from my trainer Andre Hunter into the ring to make adjustments for each fight. I think the fact that I played organized sports definitely helps me in the ring,” Mitchell said.

Beyond his commitment to training, and becoming the future Heavyweight Champion of the World, Mitchell is deeply spiritual, and believes strongly in making a commitment to empower the lives of youth, and hopes to start a foundation at some point in the future.

Mitchell has three more amateur bouts scheduled: November 10 at Pikesville Armory near Baltimore, November 30 at Gwynn Park High School in Brandywine, where Mitchell graduated in 2001, and December 7 in Pikesville before launching a pro career that already has the boxing community abuzz about seeing the next great potential American heavyweight.