Chris Arreola: 'Defeat could lead to retirement'

American heavyweight Chris Arreola has admitted that his bout with Seth Mitchell is a "must-win fight".

The winner of the all-American encounter could put himself in line for a world title opportunity against either Wladimir or Vitali Klitschko, but Arreola has hinted that he will retire from the sport should he come up short against Mitchell.

The 32-year-old told reporters: "This is a must-win fight. I respect his conditioning and his determination to be somebody. Mitchell was a good football player, but I've been in this game too long to lose to somebody like that.

"If I lose to some guy like Seth Mitchell, I would seriously contemplate retirement. I'm not a gatekeeper and I never want be that guy you beat so my name looks good on your resume. I'm not that kind of a fighter. I'm a world-class athlete, a world-class boxer."

Arreola has a professional record of 32 wins from 35 fights, while Mitchell has lost just once in 26 encounters.