By Johnny Walker
American heavyweight prospect Seth “Mayhem” Mitchell continued his winning ways on Friday night with a TKO victory over Hector Ferreyro in front of a sparse crowd at the Texas Station Casino, Las Vegas, Nevada.
Entering the ring at 242 pounds, Mitchell (23-0-1, 16 KOs) weighed only a pound less than did WBC champion Vitali Klitschko for his recent fight against Tomasz Adamek, though at 6’2” tall he is 5 inches shorter than the Ukrainian champ. Nevertheless, Mitchell carries the weight well, and looked heavily muscled rather than flabby.
ndefeated heavyweight contender Seth Mitchell (Right) lands a right hand en route to a third round knockout victory over Hector Ferreyro (Left) on September 16, 2011 at the Texas Station Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Photo: Tom Hogan/Hogan Photos
Mitchell came out strong, working behind the left jab and peppering his opponent’s soft midsection with hard shots. Ferreyro (21-11-2, 12 KOs) provided a few moments of token resistance, but mostly acted as a punching bag for Mitchell, who was aggressive, but also controlled and resolute throughout the fight.
Ferreyro’s right eye was already swelling by the end of round one, likely from the tattooing it was taking from Mitchell’s hard left jab. After taking steady punishment in round two, Ferreyro appeared wobbly and woozy as round three began, and was soon careening around the ring like a drunk after closing time, his damaged eye now swollen almost shut.
A visibly gassed Ferreyro received a count from referee Robert Byrd after turning his back to Mitchell and leaning on the ropes following one heated exchange, and was helpless against the onslaught of punches from “Mayhem” when the action resumed. Finally, referee Byrd had seen enough, and waved off the mismatch at 2:17 of round three.
Watching this top American heavyweight prospect plying his skills in front of a half-empty house in Nevada was in stark contrast to seeing Klitschko battle Adamek in front of 43,000 fans last weekend in Wroclaw, Poland. Seth Mitchell has a long way to go to prove he belongs in that kind of a setting, and until he starts fighting some live bodies, it is hard to gauge exactly what kind of potential he has.
However, on this night, Mitchell did what he was supposed to do, and got rid of an obstacle in his path. Hopefully next time out, he gets more of a chance to show what he can do when faced with at least some adversity.
