Mitchell vs Arreola: Chris Arreola promising big performance on Showtime

It's never been any secret that #hardwork #dedication hasn't always been the trademark of a Chris Arreola training camp, and according to trainer Henry Ramirez, Arreola's preparation to face Bermane Stiverne earlier this year was dismal, leading to a one-sided beating on HBO.

Back tonight on Showtime, Arreola (35-3, 30 KO) looks to make a big statement with a golden opportunity against Seth "Mayhem" Mitchell (26-1-1, 19 KO), a nicely-hyped fighter whose in-ring resume doesn't yet back up the promotional push. With a dodgy chin and his own technical limitations, Mitchell seems to many to be tailor-made for a sparkling Arreola comeback, and that's exactly what the 32-year-old veteran is hoping for.

"This is a must-win fight. I respect his conditioning and his determination to be somebody. Mitchell was a good football player, but I've been in this game too long to lose to somebody like that. If I lose to some guy like Seth Mitchell I would seriously contemplate retirement.

"I'm not a gatekeeper and I never want be that guy you beat so my name looks good on your resume. I'm not that kind of a fighter. I'm a world-class athlete, a world-class boxer."

Arreola is indeed the betting favorite for tonight's fight, indicating that the skeptics for Seth Mitchell haven't gone anywhere following a dull 12-round decision win over a lackadaisical Johnathon Banks in their June 22 rematch, which gave Mitchell a measure of revenge for his TKO-2 loss to the former cruiserweight last year.

BLH will have live coverage of Mitchell-Arreola starting tonight at 10:30 pm EDT on Showtime.