Just how good was Brian Mitchell? And how does everybody think he would hold up against the greats (old and modern) in:- Chavez Arguello Mayweather Corrales Pacquaio
Mitchell was...pretty darn good. He had his limitations though. I think he suffers a little because his fights were barely ever screened in the US, and he often fought in front of smallish crowds in Europe against fighters of little name recognition. One thing he did which I don't think has ever been replicated in boxing history by anyone is that every single one of his championship fights were fought away from home - every single one, and often in the other guy's back yard to boot. That takes some balls. The reason was because the WBA refused to let him defend the title at home, because of SA's aparthied regime at the time. Thus, he earned the nickname the "road warrior." Mitchell as a fighter was an agressive boxer that liked to press the action. He had fairly quick hands, a decent but not great punch in either hand, he went to the body very well, his workrate was excellent and he always showed up on fight night in absolutely perfect physical condition. I saw all his championship fights and a lot of his other fights as well, and I never saw him even slightly out of shape. He trained like a spartan and his flawless condition reflected that. He was well prepared to go 15 rounds, and he often seemed to get stronger as the fight progressed. On at least one occasion, Mitchell won on conditioning alone. Other assets which he had was a really solid chin (decked only twice in his career and never seriously hurt) and the ability to adapt his style in the ring. It wasn't a major shift of anything, but he'd often subtly change aspects of his style to beat his opponent. That's why he was able to beat Tony Lopez the second time round, because he made subtle but telling changes to his style. Probably his biggest asset was his confidence. He was a very, very confident fighter who always believed he would win. Even when met with hostile crowds and forced to train in dumps, his mindset never changed. In fact, the harder the opponent and the harder the circumstances, the better Mitchell liked it. He always met adversity well. On the downside, he was a relatively slow starter. It often took him three or four rounds to really get into his stride. This was how he nearly lost his title in his first defence to Joe Rivera, because Brain had done very little in the first five rounds and got knocked down to boot, meaning he had a mountain to climb. Although a decent enough puncher, he didn't really have knockout power, and relied on pressure and a steady barrage of leather to wear you down. This I feel would hurt him against some of the legends in this weight class. Lastly, towards the end of his career, he tended to cut up pretty easily. That was a combination of scar tissue over the years and the headbutts of one Jackie Beard. All in all, I'd say he was an excellent fighter, one that sadly most people on this board will not have seen. As to your matchups: Chavez: This would be a war. Strong, agressive pressure boxers never bothered Mitchell. In fact, he preferred fighting this type of opponent. Chavez was an exceptional fighter at this weight though...so it's hard to call as Mitchell never met anyone of Chavez's class. His style does suit Mitchell though, and Mitchell's conditioning, granite beard and workrate would serve him well. It could go either way...I'd lean slightly towards Chavez, but Mitchell would be a very live underdog here. I would not be too surprised if he pulled off a win. Chavez by tight decision over 12 in a fight of the year candidate. Arguello: Arguello's power and accuracy would bother me in this one. Mitchell's beard would be thoroughly tested, although defensively Mitchell was pretty sharp and didn't get hit flush too often. The first half of the fight would belong to Arguello, with Mitchell coming back strongly later on. I think Arguallo's power would be the big difference here though, and would prevent Mitchell from launching an all-out late assault. Arguello by unanimous decision over 15. Mayweather: He's all wrong for Mitchell I'm afraid. Mitchell hated fighting the quick slicksters, and Mayweather had power at the weight too. Mitchell would have his moments, but ultimately Floyd is too quick, too slick and just too good. Floyd comfortable UD over 12, or stoppage via cuts late. Corrales: Another fighter I would have steered Mitchell clear from, although overall I actually think Mitchell is a superior fighter. Diego's height would be a major factor, and his power would also test Mitchell's durability. If Brian could see out the first half of the fight, he will come on strong late and begin to make inroads, but it's a tricky fight to call. Can Michell deal with the height and power advantage Corrales has? Can Corrales deal with sustained pressure all through the fight? I's say: Corrales by SD over 12 or late stoppage due to cuts. Mitchell by decision over 15. Pacquaio: Of the lot, his style is most ideally suited for Mitchell. The one issue I have here though, is Pac's phenomenal conditioning and legendary toughness. I think Mitchell would need to change tack here and not pressure Pac - a game Pac most likely will win at. MItchell would need to back off some and try to counter Pac, something he could do if required. I think he could outsmart Pac if he chooses to box and counter, but it's tricky either way. I don't think Mitchell could beat Pac at his own game. I've never seen Mitchell overwhelmed or overawed by an opponent, so I tentatively pick Mitchell by decision over 12, but admit bias does come into it a bit. The one guy I would have loved to see Mitchell fight would be Azumah Nelson. It would be epic. Edit: In closing, I'd say that Mitchell would probably lose to most the greats in this weight class, but he had the unique ability to up his game against better opponents, so I would not bet too much against him, except against the likes of Mayweather.
Great post! I enjoyed reading that.....I made a thread awhile back regarding Brian Mitchell as well.....since then I finally got to see some of his fights and I was very impressed.....very accurate with his punches, a good workrate, always seemed in control.....his rematch with Tony Lopez is one of the best "subtle" boxing displays I've ever seen.......in my opinion, he's one of the most underrated fighters of all time.
Thank you Renofan. Maybe someone will put some of his fights on youtube one day. I think what hurt him was that he never really fought a marquee opponent until Lopez, which was towards the end of his career.
Outstanding post. I remember him, but never saw him. Are the McDonnell, Frankie Mitchell, or the two Lopez fights worth watching? Which is the best of the four?
You're welcome.......someone mentioned in my thread about Brian that if he had been American, he would've been much more popular.
Here's my $0.02 on the matter, hopefully fists of fury can chime in as well..........I haven't seen the Frankie Mitchell fight, but I've seen the other 3 you mentioned, along with Danilo Cabrera, Francisco Fernandez, and Daniel Londas.......I currently have 11 more of his fights on order.......the 2nd Lopez fight is my favorite of the bunch, as it was verging on a masterpiece by Mitchell.......after Mcdonnell and Mitchell fought, I believe Mcdonnell said something like "He's not brilliant in any department, but he is good at everything and the overall effect is one of brilliance" so you may want to check that one out as well.
To be honest I wouldn't be against Mitchell.He has the abilty to change his tatics during a bout if need be.Frankie Mitchell gave him a good fight but Mitchell came on in the end.Mcdonnell was made to miss with most of his punches while Brian put steady pressure on him.Tony Lopez in the second bout was made to look rather foolish by Mitchell. Mitchell could fight a number of different ways.I wouldn't rule him out against anyone(esp in a 15 round bout)
Two other fights worth looking at are the first Joe Rivera fight and the Francisco "Rocky" Fernandez fight. His worst performance as champ was against Orozsco, where he looked poor. I saw that one live and was very, very disappointed in his showing. Luckily the title was not at stake. His biography, simply entitled "Champ" is worth a read as well, but I'm not sure if it's available overseas. It's also quite old and might not be in print anymore. One thing that surprised me was how many street fights he had engaged in in his younger days.
I saw some of his fights and read up on his reports at the time. I agree with everything said about him on here. He was a real pro who new his trade, very good in every department. If he'd been American he would of been a lot more highly regarded.
Yeah he's a man i've looked into. Very good fighter and whilst his reign was pretty good, solid once he'd unified with lopez, it's difficult pitting him against the greats of this division because of how talented the pool is. The opponent summed I up best saying he doesn't do anything excellent, at he does it all very good. You'll always find a sfw who does something better than him, whether it's defensive brilliance, educated pressure, punching power, timing, handspeed etc. Despite it being a ******* division, it is home to super greats like arguello and chavez plus it was home to the primes of mayweather and pacman. I agree with most of the predictions here apart from chico, mitchell should be able to rack up a big points lead and should be durable enough to survive the late onslaught. Is he strong enough to force pac on the back foot? I'm not sure. Morales and jmm were accurate enough to make their shots count but it's a big ask. A very well rounded fighter who should a top ten lock.