"I think he is going to get the #1 ranking with the WBO after winning Saturday, so of course I wanna fight him now. I would like to fight the guy now. I think Johnathan would probably be easier than Seth, but then again, like I said, Seth just really can't take no punch, man, and against a guy like me, you will go quick. But Seth did hurt Johnathon in the 1st round, so Johnathon, to me, can be taken out of there and he is a little gun shy to me. I think I would be way too aggressive and fast for him, but the tale of the tape is when you get in that ring and get it on. We all can do a lot of talking, but at the end of the day, you can't really say what's going to happen until you get in that ring and get it on," stated comebacking heavyweight contender Amir Mansour, who shared his thoughts on Johnathan Banks' upset 2nd round stoppage of Seth Mitchell this past Saturday. Check it out!
PC: Amir, give me your thoughts on what you watched Saturday night from the heavyweights?
AM: Well, to be honest, I had never saw a Johnathon Banks fight, so prior to that fight, I went to YouTube and looked him up, and I said, "This guy is gonna beat Seth," once I saw his footage, because he could box a little bit. After the 1st round and he weathered the storm, I said, "Watch, this guy is gonna beat Seth." And then when he hurt Seth, it confirmed what I had been saying and that's Seth Mitchell can't take a punch. Johnathon Banks don't hit hard. He's not a knockout guy like a guy like me with a high knockout ratio. And let me tell you, it's been reported that NFL/football players have more concussions than any athlete on the planet. Seth Mitchell grew up playing football, man, and too many helmet to helmet hits, man. This guy, while he has the physical look and the physique to be a great fighter, I don't think he will ever reach anywhere near his potential because he can't take a punch. He's taken too many helmet to helmet hits. He grew up playing this football thing. He's been hit in his head too many times. This guy has probably had concussions on and off since he was a kid, because they are discovering now that these kids are getting concussions playing little league football, middle school, and high school, all the way up the ranks, and I really truly believe that's why he can't take any punches.
PC: I understand you feel he can't take a punch, but from a skillset standpoint, do you think there is room for improvement from Mitchell or do you think his ability to not take a punch will hinder his growth?
AM: From a skillset standpoint, I don't think he has the skills at all, and let me tell you why. This guy has had knee surgery, so he had to quit football because he didn't have the obvious things which are speed and agility to continue playing football. Well, you need speed and agility to get into that boxing ring. Those knee surgeries and blowing out your knee, you can't be no heavyweight fighter with no bum knee. A lot of people underestimate and disrespect this game, man. He is a big guy and he got some decent knockouts and a good win against Chazz Witherspoon, but that's his best win right there. Other than that, this guy ain't beat nobody, and I watched him Saturday night and he's too lethargic and slow on his feet, and unless he can increase his speed on his feet, then he's not gonna increase anything else in his game, in his fight game. Your foundation is your legs, your balance, and your foot speed. He doesn't have speed and I think he is incapable of gaining that or attaining that because he has bum knees.
PC: I know you really wanted to target Seth Mitchell in 2013. Now that he has been dethroned so to speak, is Johnathon Banks now on that radar?
AM: Well of course. I think he is going to get the #1 ranking with the WBO after winning Saturday, so of course I wanna fight him now. I would like to fight the guy now. I think Johnathan would probably be easier than Seth, but then again, like I said, Seth just really can't take no punch, man, and against a guy like me, you will go quick. But Seth did hurt Johnathon in the 1st round, so Johnathon, to me, can be taken out of there and he is a little gun shy to me. I think I would be way too aggressive and fast for him, but the tale of the tape is when you get in that ring and get it on. We all can do a lot of talking, but at the end of the day, you can't really say what's going to happen until you get in that ring and get it on.
PC: The way Banks fought on Saturday night reminded me a lot of when Lamon Brewster lost his trainer and knocked out Wladimir Klitschko. It was a very inspired performance. Unfortunately with Lamon, and even when Buster Douglas was inspired by his mother's death to beat Mike Tyson, we never saw those guys inspired like that again. Do you see that in Banks?
AM: No. Listen, Johnathon Banks' only loss is to Tomasz Adamek and the guy has been winning fights. I don't think that this fight defines him in terms of, "Oh, he is a lot better than we thought." I think that Seth Mitchell was not anywhere near the fighter that we thought he was, but at the same time, we didn't give Johnathon Banks the credit that he deserved going into the fight. We thought that this was going to be an easy night for Seth. So on one hand, we overestimated a guy and on the other hand, we underestimated a guy. I think Johnathon Banks is a decent fighter, but I think he is a little too slowÂ…well, you really can't gauge it. You can't gauge who he is as a fighter because let's be realistic, man, he didn't hit Seth that hard to knock him out, man. I'm saying if this guy got hit with one of my shots, he would go out on a stretcher. He wouldn't have got up. He wouldn't have been able to get up and talk to Larry Merchant after the fight. He wouldn't have been able to do none of that. It wasn't a hard shot if you ask me. I would like to see Johnathon Banks against a harder opponent.
PC: And stepping outside of the heavyweight division, what did you think of Adrien Broner, who put on a show in the main event on Saturday night?
AM: I extremely enjoyed watching Adrien Broner. He definitely looks like a copy of Floyd Mayweather and a lot of people are saying that's a bad thing. Come on, let's be realistic. If I come into the heavyweight division and I remind you of Mike Tyson, that's a good thing. If I come into the heavyweight division and I look like Ali, that's a good thing. If I come in and look like Riddick Bowe or Holyfield in their prime, that's a great thing and that's a great thing for the sport. So I think Adrien Broner is definitely one of the up-and-coming superstars of the sport. He has a little flare and a little swag with him. He do the hair brushing thing, but he's in character. As long as he's doing what he needs to do once he gets in that ring and that bells sounds, he's good. He made a world champion look like he was an amateur. He blew this guy out and that was a world champion that he did that to. As a matter of fact, a world champion who has been dominating guys in fights and knocking them out. Adrien Broner did his thing and I was really impressed with his skills. He is an entertainer, but when that bell sounds, he's a fighter. A lot of times, people don't like the way that Floyd carries himself outside of the ring, but Floyd is one of the biggest ticket sellers and pay-per-view draws in the history of boxing. Why? Because when he got in that ring, he did what he was supposed to do. He did what he promised the people that he would do. So as long as Adrien Broner continues to do what he says he's going to do in that ring, to some extent, it don't matter what he does outside of it.
PC: That's wassup my man. Give me something in closing!
AM: I'm just ecstatic and excited and I can't wait until the beginning of 2013 so I can start doing my thing again. I'm excited now about what heavyweight HBO is going to pick up and promote as the future of the heavyweight boxing division in America, man. With Seth Mitchell, Humpty Dumpty had a great fall, he fell off of the wall, and all the kings horses and all the kings men can't put Humpty Dumpty back together again (laughing). We know the story and we know the riddle. A guy like that who can't take a punch, I just can't see it; not in a division with the big boys punching hard.
[ Follow Percy Crawford on Twitter @MrLouis1ana ]