INDIO, Calif. — Chris Arreola stopped Seth Mitchell with 34 seconds left in the first round of a one-sided heavyweight bout Saturday night.
Arreola (36-3, 31 KOs) rocked Mitchell in the opening moments with a big right hand, eventually dropping him to the canvas. Mitchell (26-2-1) partially turned his back when Arreola charged him moments later, and referee Jack Reiss stopped the fight.
The often-flabby Arreola was in unusually good condition in his first bout since an upset decision loss to Bermane Stiverne in April.
Arreola’s loss deprived him of a likely heavyweight title shot, but the Riverside, Calif., product moved to Phoenix for a training camp that resulted in a dominant victory.
Mitchell, a former football player at Michigan State, has lost two of his last three fights.