S.F. Mitchell's Defeats Taylor 13-8, Marches to National Semifinals

By Ryan Maquiñana
Norcalboxing.net

Mitchell moves on to the semifinals with a decision win over Taylor. (USA Boxing)

Super heavyweight LaRon Mitchell inched even closer to his Olympic Team dream with a 13-8 decision win Thursday afternoon over Dallas' Adrian Taylor in the quarterfinals of the 2012 USA Boxing National Championships.

"Taylor's a very good boxer," Mitchell said.  "He was good at hiding his right hand with that awkward stance of his.  He had lost some considerable weight from an old fight of him I had seen on YouTube the night before, so he was moving well."

Overcoming an early 3-2 deficit, the San Francisco southpaw reverted to his boxing skills and cruised to victory in the final two rounds.

"I used that first round to feel him out and test his power," Mitchell said.  "I was able to dictate the pace of the fight after that."

Now Mitchell faces Nevada's Zachary Bunce Las Vegas' Brett Rather tomorrow with a spot in Saturday's final on the line.

"It's going to be a bar-room brawl," Mitchell said.  "You can't run from Brett because he's in shape and he's fast, so he'll cut the ring off.  I'm not saying the fight will be in the pocket, but there will be fireworks.  He throws 120 punches a fight and is the type of guy who takes two or three taps to land a big bomb."

The S.F. State graduate reflected on his performance so far and the impact he hopes it will have on the members of the Ring of Fire.  The gym is predominantly tailored for at-risk kids and derives most of its support from the local fire department and the Olympic Club.

"It's not over," Mitchell said.  "God has a plan for everybody, and no matter where my journey ends this week, I'm grateful for everything and being able to reach everyone in the community who has followed my story.  I can't wait to share my experience with the kids at the gym."

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.