Norcalboxing.net
Mitchell earned a spot in the quarters with a points win over Faavae. (Andy Autumn)
Despite jumping out the gate with a 9-2 lead after one stanza, Mitchell allowed Faavae to claw his way back into the bout. After the second round, the two combatants were separated by only one point.
"I made the fight closer than it should have been," Mitchell said. "Hand it to George. He got me out of my gameplan for a moment."
The strategy was for the southpaw Mitchell to use his movement and outbox the slugger. However, Faavae, a former defensive lineman from UNLV, found his way inside and coerced Mitchell to trade at times, catalyzing his comeback from seven points down.
"Heading into the last round, my coach Jimmy Ford just told me to stick with the plan and revert to what I was doing in the first round, sticking and moving," Mitchell said.
Faavae, a member of the All-American Heavyweights Gym in Southern California, brought a vociferous contingent of support with him to Colorado. Mitchell commented on how it affected his performance temporarily.
"It was hard because Faavae had a bunch of supporters in the crowd who would make all kinds of noise when he would land anything, even if it wasn't clean," Mitchell said. "I'm glad the judges weren't swayed by that and that I fought my fight in the end."
Next up in the quarterfinals is a meeting with Texas native Josiah McCormick, another All-American Heavyweight.
NOTE: Mitchell originally informed Norcalboxing.net he was facing McCormick, but he was beaten via walkover by Dallas' Adrian Taylor. Mitchell fights Taylor instead.
Boxing correspondent Ryan Maquiñana is a member of the Boxing Writers Association of America and Ring Magazine’s Ratings Advisory Panel. E-mail him at rmaquinana@gmail.com, check out his blog at norcalboxing.net, or follow him on Twitter: @RMaq28.
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