LaRon Mitchell – Scott Alexander Battle for the NABF Heavyweight Title

Exclusive Interview by Anthony “Stacks” Saldaña
Photos By Cynthia “Cindy Lou” Saldaña

Next Friday night October 21st at “Path to Glory” presented by Thompson Boxing, LaRon Mitchell, 14-0, 13 KO’s and Scott Alexander, 12-1-2, 6 KO’s will fight for the vacant NABF Jr. Heavyweight Championship at the Double Tree Hotel in Ontario ,California. Mitchell is a rising talent in the heavyweight division. His first thirteen wins all came by knockout and his latest victory was a hard fought unanimous decision over Mario Heredia in August, was a solid test for the San Francisco native. Mitchell faces another tough obstacle in Alexander, who also fought in August on the same Thompson Boxing card as Mitchell. Alexander used his length, power and speed to easily beat Sergio Ramirez by TKO. I recently was invited by Thompson Boxing to sit down and interview both Mitchell and Alexander, and their teams about their upcoming title fight.

During that interview I asked LaRon what motivated him, he’s 36 years old with a career as a school teacher, what keeps his drive going? LaRon stated “I have a deep fire that burns inside of me, and it’s not just in me but it’s in my team. That’s my motivation.

My whole team has the determination to become a world champion no matter who gets put in front of me, and with all due respect to Alexander he’s in front of me. Also knowing that the best is coming after me, that’s motivation, knowing Alexander and his trainer Henry (Ramirez) are going to bring the their best. I remember watching Chris Arreola fighting and seeing Henry in his corner. I know this isn’t his first rodeo. I’m 36-years-young. I know that sounds old, but I’m like a Cadillac with 50,000 miles that has been parked in the garage for much of its life. I have no wear and tear.” Andy Nance the manager for Mitchell then stated “Not a lot of people know this, but LaRon is a pure athlete. He played tight end in college and is one of the strongest punchers I’ve ever seen. He had a brief amateur career that finished by being an alternate for the London Olympics in 2012.” he continued on by saying “The whole purpose of being in boxing is working toward that world title shot. With a win, we are that much closer in accomplishing that goal. We’re going to show what we’ve been working on for the last three years.”

For Scott Alexander he’s an unknown heavyweight prospect, standing at six-foot-three. Alexander has excellent size and reach for boxing’s most glamorous division. The 26-year-old picked up gloves at age eighteen and immediately fell in love with the sport. While he’s been a pro since 2009 Alexander had zero experience in amateur boxing, but this hasn’t deterred Alexander who is on a quest to reach the top level as a pro. I asked his trainer Henry Ramirez about this and he stated. “He’s a hard worker, he doesn’t drink, doesn’t smoke and is dedicated in the gym, and all those things are going to help him come October 21st.” he also stated “of course there’s always things to work on, he needs to stay a little more focused but he’ll be alright.”

During his pro career, Alexander has sparred with current stablemate Chris Arreola, Murat Gassiev, veterans Lamon Brewster, Lance Whitaker, Malik Scott and more. He’s been training with Henry Ramirez for a little over 2 years now and he says camp’s going well. Scott is hardworking, ambitious and hungry to make his mark in the heavyweight scene. When I asked Alexander about facing Mitchell he stated “I tip my hat off to Ken Thompson for making this fight happen. I’m looking forward to seeing the best LaRon on October 21. Every fight is different, but as a boxer-puncher my job is to adjust. Whatever is working for him, I have to make the adjustment to take that away. LaRon likes to load up on his punches and I think I can exploit that. LaRon hasn’t tasted defeat, but I’m going to make sure that he does, I understand LaRon is a school teacher, but on October 21st , I’ll be teaching him a lesson.”

In closing Ken Thompson, President of Thompson Boxing Promotions stated, “Both LaRon and Scott are world champion material. They’re taking a big risk in meeting this early in their careers, but that’s what boxing is all about. At some point in your career, you’re going to have to take risks to accomplish your goals. We’ve built many champions through the years and this is where the drama starts. Can LaRon continue his winning streak and become a champion? Can Scott grab his signature win and take home a title in the process? We’ll have answers to those questions next week.”

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