Tom Casino/Showtime Sports
SETH MITCHELL & CHRIS ARREOLA DISCUSS “MUST-WIN” HEAVYWEIGHT SHOWDOWN THIS SATURDAY, SEPT. 7 FROM FANTASY SPRINGS RESORT CASINO IN INDIO, CALIF. LIVE ON SHOWTIME® Rafael Marquez Takes On Efrain Esquivias in Co-Feature
Press Release
NEW YORK (Sept. 3, 2013) – Chris “The Nightmare” Arreola calls it a “must-win” and may retire if he loses. Seth “Mayhem” Mitchell calls it “do-or-die” and a “crossroads fight for both of us.”
This Saturday, Sept. 7, former world title challenger Arreola (35-3, 30 KO’s), of Riverside, Calif., meets former college football star Mitchell (26-1-1, 19 KO’s), of Brandywine, Md., in a 12-rounder for the WBC Silver Championship in a battle of world-ranked heavyweights on SHOWTIME BOXING: Special Edition live on SHOWTIME® immediately following ALL ACCESS: Mayweather vs. Canelo Episode 3 Premiere which begins at 10 p.m. ET/PT, delayed on the West Coast.
A gallant Mexican warrior who’ll forever be remembered for his classic four-fight series with Israel Vazquez on SHOWTIME, the respected former two division world champion Rafael Marquez (41-8, 37 KO’s), of Mexico City, will take on Efrain Esquivias (16-2-1, 9 KO’s), of Gardena, Calif., in the 10-round co-feature from Fantasy Springs Resort Casino in Indio, Calif.
Tickets for an event originally scheduled for Sept. 6 are priced at $105, $75, $55, $45 and $35 and are available at the Fantasy Springs Box Office, by calling (800) 827-2946 or online at www.fantasyspringsresort.com. All tickets bought for Sept. 6 will be honored on Sept. 7. Doors open at 4 p.m. PT and the first live fight starts at 4:05 p.m.
The 6-foot-2½-inch, 31-year-old Mitchell is coming off a 12-round unanimous decision over Johnathon Banks last June 22 on SHOWTIME. Getting his revenge against the only fighter who defeated him, Mitchell dropped Banks in the second round, bounced back after getting staggered a couple of times and then thoroughly outworked Banks in the later rounds to win by the scores of 117-109, 115-112 and 114-112.
“Banks hurt me in the third round, but I recovered and felt confident that I won. I thought I easily won eight of the 12 rounds. I was ready to go 12 and with my stamina, I could’ve gone 15 or 20,” said Mitchell. It was the first time Mitchell, who’s ranked No. 2 in the WBC, No. 4 in the WBA, No. 8 in the WBO and No. 10 in the IBF, went 12 rounds.
Looking ahead, Mitchell, who trains in Clinton, Md., said, “This is going to be a hell of a fight. Arreola applies pressure and has a heavy punch. He’s definitely the toughest opponent I’ve faced. But I’m ready, focused and excited. It’s going to be electric and I’m just looking forward to me coming out victorious again. On Sept. 7, Arreola is going to have to back up all of the trash he’s been talking.”
Offered Mitchell’s trainer, Andre Hunter, “Training camp went well. Seth is in fighting shape so we’ve been working on other things besides just conditioning. I have nothing but good things to say about Arreola. He’s a good boxer, he comes forward and he throws lots of punches. He puts a tremendous amount of pressure on his opponents and overwhelms them with his abilities. With that being said, Seth can win. We have a great game plan for this fight and are looking forward to returning to SHOWTIME.”
