I’m going with Mitchell over 15 by competitive UD. He was slick and disciplined and had a great trait of throwing a 1-2-1 where the second jab to finish the combo put him back at the distance he wanted and kept him always on balance. Mitchell was the most well-traveled champion of the modern era and maybe of any era, given that the WBA banned title fights in his native South Africa and he had to defend it on the road every time. That’s 14 fights, all on the road and most in his opponent’s backyard. He lost zero of those. A draw with Tony Lopez to unify with the IBF title was followed by a rematch won by Mitchell. His only loss came very early in his career. Mitchell was a tough out for anyone. All he did was win, not always in a way that would wow you, but more methodical. Beat everyone put in front of him, even though there were a couple of WBA mandatory clunkers who didn’t deserve title shots there were also some very deserving challengers. Escalera was long and a sharp puncher but more inconsistent. And he only has two inches in height and 2 1/2 in reach over Mitchell. I think the South African fights the steadier fight and puts enough rounds in his pocket to win.
^^^ Agreed and is a good post here. I will add that Brian was so good in the pocket slippin and countering as well
