Edison Miranda (born January 7, 1981) is a Colombian former professional boxer who competed from 2001 to 2021. He challenged once each for the IBF middleweight and super middleweight world titles, and was considered to be one of the most dangerous contenders at middleweight due to his exceptionally high knockout-to-win percentage.

Edison Miranda
Miranda in 2009
Born (1981-01-07) January 7, 1981 (age 43)
Buenaventura, Colombia
Nationality
  • Colombian
  • Puerto Rican
Other namesPantera ("Panther")
Statistics
Weight(s)
Height5 ft 11 in (180 cm)
Reach77+12 in (197 cm)
StanceOrthodox
Boxing record
Total fights47
Wins36
Wins by KO31
Losses11

Early life

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Miranda was born in 1981 in Buenaventura, Colombia and was abandoned by his mother when he was one month old.[1] At age 9, a precocious Miranda began a quest to locate his mother. He hitched rides on truck beds over the course of hundreds of miles and was able to find his uncle working at a construction site. His uncle informed him that if he was really the little boy his sister gave away, then he should have a birthmark on his leg whereas Miranda unveiled the 2-inch long circular proof. The man led him to his mother's new home, only to be abandoned again by his mother. By the time he was 12, he was working in the plantain fields. The next year, he had a full-time construction job. By the time he was 14, he was working as a cattle butcher. At age 15, Miranda took up boxing, training for a half-year before starting his amateur career.[2] Miranda won 128 out of 132 fights, winning four Colombian national titles. Miranda won a bronze medal in the 2000 Olympic Trials in Argentina, but failed to qualify for the 2000 Colombian Olympic team.[3]

Professional career

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Middleweight

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132 fights later, Miranda became a professional boxer, but his journey was only halfway over. March 2002 saw Miranda's arrival in the Dominican Republic. Having been promised a shot at going to the United States to fight the top middleweight fighters in the world, Miranda continued with what he's best at – fighting – both in and out of the ring. Struggling to make ends meet, left homeless and hungry by an unfair contract, Miranda left the Dominican Republic and returned to Barranquilla on December 24, 2004. With the support of friends, he fulfilled his dream of making it as a boxer in the United States when he signed with Warrior's Boxing Promotions and then had his first American fight in Hollywood, Florida on May 20, 2005. In that fight, Miranda defeated Sam Reese by unanimous decision.[3]

IBF title eliminator

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Miranda fought Howard Eastman on March 24, 2006, at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Hollywood, Florida. Miranda got off to a slow start but showed his tremendous power when consecutive right hands hurt Eastman in the fifth round. The experienced Eastman survived the round and came back strong by hurting Miranda in the next round. Miranda kept throwing his right hand, and in the seventh, he had Eastman hurt badly with a clean right cross to the jaw, followed by a left uppercut and then a vicious right uppercut that nailed Eastman under the chin. The referee stopped the fight, making Miranda the first man to stop Eastman. The victory made Miranda the mandatory challenger for IBF Middleweight Champion Arthur Abraham.[4]

IBF title fight

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Miranda fought Abraham on September 23, 2006 in Wetzlar, Germany. The fight was not without controversy. After three competitive rounds, Miranda broke Abraham's jaw with a right hand in round four. In round five, Miranda head-butted Abraham on the right side of his face. Abraham was seen turning away hurt with his mouth agape. Referee Randy Neumann stopped the fight and during the five-minute break, the doctor recommended to stop the fight to what he saw as a broken jaw from a legal punch. The referee decided to continue the fight and deducted two points from Miranda. Abraham fought the remainder of the fight with a visibly broken jaw that was grossly swollen at the end of the fight. In the seventh round, Miranda was docked two more points for low blows. Then in the eleventh round, Miranda landed another low blow and the referee took another point from him. Miranda lost the fight by unanimous decision. He would have lost even without the deduction of any points (although by MD only).[5]

Miranda vs. Gibbs, Green

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Miranda (left) vs. Green

On December 16, 2006, Miranda fought Willie Gibbs in Miami, Florida. Miranda landed a strong right hand that badly hurt Gibbs, causing him to stagger back into the ropes. Miranda then unloaded a volley of punches, concluding with a right hand followed by a left hook that connected flush on Gibbs' chin, sending him down and out in the first round.[6]

On March 3, 2007, Miranda won a unanimous decision over Allan Green at the Roberto Clemente Coliseum in San Juan, Puerto Rico. Green knocked down Miranda with a left hook that landed on Miranda's chin in round eight. Despite that, Miranda dominated most of the fight and knocked Green down twice in the final round. The fight was fought at a catchweight of 162 lbs, foreshadowing Miranda's problems at making weight.[7]

WBC title eliminator

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On May 19, 2007, after losing nearly every round, Miranda was brutally stopped in the seventh round by Kelly Pavlik at the FedEx Forum in Memphis, Tennessee. After getting knocked down the first time in round six, Miranda spit out his mouthpiece, leading to a one-point deduction. It did not help him survive, since he was knocked down again in round six and once more in round seven. Referee Steve Smoger halted the fight with Miranda still down.[8] The fight was a WBC title eliminator with the winner getting a shot at Middleweight champion Jermain Taylor. Pavlik went on to beat Taylor.

Super middleweight

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After the loss to Pavlik, Miranda moved up to Super Middleweight and fought Henry Porras on October 30, 2007, at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Hollywood, Florida. Miranda started out slowly, but soon found both his range and rhythm. Porras was a game opponent in the first two rounds, but as Miranda became more comfortable, he found openings in Porras’ defense. Miranda unloaded a powerful barrage of punches on a defenseless Porras to force the referee to step in and stop the fight in the fifth round.[9]

On January 11, 2008, Miranda viciously knocked out David Banks in the third round at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Hollywood, Florida. The fight began with two feeling out rounds that saw Miranda use a consistent left jab to set up rights over the top and underneath of Banks' guard. In round three, Miranda landed a big right hand that caused Banks to collapse backwards and fall awkwardly halfway through the ropes.[10] The knockout was named "Knockout of the Year" by ESPN.com's Dan Rafael,[11] and also was accoladed as Ring Magazine Knockout of the Year for 2008.

Rematch with Abraham

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On June 21, 2008, at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Hollywood, Florida, Miranda lost to Arthur Abraham by fourth-round technical knockout. The fight took place at a catch weight of 166 pounds (75 kg), so Abraham's IBF Middleweight title was not on the line. Abraham spent much of the first and second rounds with his gloves high to his head and his back against the ring ropes, while Miranda threw power punches. Abraham blocked many of Miranda's punches, but a low blow drew a warning to Miranda and a brief rest period for Abraham. Abraham began to open up in the third round, landing right and left hands to Miranda's head. About 30 seconds into the fourth round, Abraham landed a clean left hook to the temple that knocked Miranda down. He got to his feet, but was caught by a sweeping left hook that knocked Miranda down again. Abraham ended the fight seconds later with a third left hand to the head that sent Miranda down again, bringing an automatic stoppage via the three-knockdown rule.[12]

Fight with Lucian Bute

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On April 17, 2010, Edison Miranda fought Lucian Bute in Montreal, Quebec, at Bell Centre in front of nearly 15000 fans. Miranda lost the first two rounds and he was knocked out during the third round with a solid right uppercut to the jaw. Miranda got back on his feet but the referee decided to stop the fight seconds after.

Professional boxing record

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47 fights 36 wins 11 losses
By knockout 31 5
By decision 5 5
By disqualification 0 1
No. Result Record Opponent Type Round, time Date Location Notes
47 Loss 36–11   Carlouse Welch KO 2 (10), 1:10 Jun 5, 2021   Colegio Bachillerato Resguardo Indigena, San Antonio de Palmito, Colombia
46 Win 36–10   Daniel Noguera KO 1 (6), 2:21 Sep 7, 2014   Patio Casa Los Caracoles, Tolú, Colombia
45 Loss 35–10   Yuniel Dorticos UD 10 Jul 10, 2014   American Airlines Arena, Miami, Florida, U.S. For WBC Latino cruiserweight title
44 Loss 35–9   Eleider Álvarez UD 10 Sep 28, 2013   Bell Centre, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
43 Loss 35–8   Tony Bellew TKO 9 (12), 1:54 Sep 8, 2012   Alexandra Palace, London, England For vacant WBC Silver International light heavyweight title
42 Loss 35–7   Isaac Chilemba UD 10 Feb 3, 2012   Texas Station, North Las Vegas, Nevada, U.S.
41 Win 35–6   Kariz Kariuki TKO 5 (8), 2:15 Dec 17, 2011   Boardwalk Hall, Atlantic City, New Jersey, U.S.
40 Loss 34–6   Yordanis Despaigne DQ 5 (10), 0:45 Jul 29, 2011   Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas, Paradise, Nevada, U.S. Miranda disqualified for repeated low blows
39 Win 34–5   Rayco Saunders UD 8 Jun 4, 2011   Boardwalk Hall, Atlantic City, New Jersey, U.S.
38 Loss 33–5   Lucian Bute TKO 3 (12), 1:22 Apr 17, 2010   Bell Centre, Montreal, Quebec, Canada For IBF super middleweight title
37 Win 33–4   Francisco Sierra KO 1 (12), 2:16 Oct 22, 2009   Tachi Palace Hotel & Casino, Lemoore, California, U.S. Won vacant WBO–NABO interim super middleweight title
36 Loss 32–4   Andre Ward UD 12 May 16, 2009   Oracle Arena, Oakland, California, U.S. For NABF and WBO–NABO super middleweight titles
35 Win 32–3   Joey Vegas TKO 5 (10), 2:31 Mar 20, 2009   York Hall, London, England
34 Win 31–3   Manuel Esparza KO 3 (8), 0:57 Jan 14, 2009   Hard Rock Live, Hollywood, Florida, U.S.
33 Loss 30–3   Arthur Abraham TKO 4 (12), 1:13 Jun 24, 2008   Hard Rock Live, Hollywood, Florida, U.S.
32 Win 30–2   David Banks KO 3 (10), 1:15 Jan 11, 2008   Hard Rock Live, Hollywood, Florida, U.S.
31 Win 29–2   Henry Porras TKO 5 (10), 2:45 Oct 30, 2007   Hard Rock Live, Hollywood, Florida, U.S.
30 Loss 28–2   Kelly Pavlik TKO 7 (12), 1:54 May 19, 2007   FedExForum, Memphis, Tennessee, U.S.
29 Win 28–1   Allan Green UD 10 Mar 3, 2007   Roberto Clemente Coliseum, San Juan, Puerto Rico
28 Win 27–1   Willie Gibbs KO 1 (10), 2:59 Dec 16, 2006   Miccosukee Resort & Gaming, Miami, Florida, U.S.
27 Loss 26–1   Arthur Abraham UD 12 Sep 23, 2006   Rittal Arena, Wetzlar, Germany For IBF middleweight title
26 Win 26–0   Howard Eastman TKO 7 (12), 2:33 Mar 24, 2006   Hard Rock Live, Hollywood, Florida, U.S.
25 Win 25–0   Sherwin Davis KO 3 (12), 0:37 Oct 21, 2005   Hard Rock Live, Hollywood, Florida, U.S. Retained IBF Latino and WBO–NABO middleweight titles;
Won vacant WBO Latino middleweight title
24 Win 24–0   Hilario Guzman UD 6 Aug 26, 2005   Hard Rock Live, Hollywood, Florida, U.S.
23 Win 23–0   Jose Varela UD 12 Jun 16, 2005   Seminole Casino, Coconut Creek, Florida, U.S. Won vacant IBF Latino, WBO Latino, and WBO–NABO middleweight titles
22 Win 22–0   Sam Reese UD 10 May 20, 2005   Hard Rock Live, Hollywood, Florida, U.S.
21 Win 21–0   Saul Torres KO 1 (10), 2:59 Feb 26, 2005   Romelio Martínez Stadium, Barranquilla, Colombia
20 Win 20–0   Jonalis Reyes KO 1 Dec 11, 2004   San Pedro de Macorís, Dominican Republic
19 Win 19–0   Darmel Castillo TKO 5 (10), 1:14 Aug 29, 2003   Magnum Eventos, Panama City, Panama
18 Win 18–0   Feliberto Alvarez KO 3 (8) Jul 28, 2003   Club San Carlos, Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic
17 Win 17–0   Hector Rodriguez KO 1 Jul 25, 2003   Polideportivo, Moca, Dominican Republic
16 Win 16–0   Meregildo De Los Santos KO 1 Jul 20, 2003   Cotuí, Dominican Republic
15 Win 15–0   Manuel De la Rosa KO 2 (10) Jun 14, 2003   La Romana, Dominican Republic
14 Win 14–0   Jose Luis Robles KO 1 Apr 15, 2003   Club Los Cachorros, Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic
13 Win 13–0   Danilo Serrano KO 1 Apr 10, 2003   Club Los Cachorros, Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic
12 Win 12–0   Roberto Jimenez KO 1 Apr 1, 2003   Club Los Cachorros, Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic
11 Win 11–0   Joselito del Rosario KO 1 (10) Mar 21, 2003   Coliseo de boxeo Carlos "Teo" Cruz, Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic
10 Win 10–0   Rafael de la Cruz KO 2 Jun 15, 2002   San Cristóbal, Dominican Republic
9 Win 9–0   Joselito del Rosario KO 1 Jun 12, 2002   Club Los Cachorros, Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic
8 Win 8–0   Nelson Gil KO 1 Jun 5, 2002   Estadio Olímpico Juan Pablo Duarte, Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic
7 Win 7–0   Jose Chiquillo KO 1 Dec 14, 2001   Cartagena, Colombia
6 Win 6–0   Alfonso Mosquera TKO 1 (8), 3:00 Oct 5, 2001   Roberto Durán Arena, Panama City, Panama
5 Win 5–0   Fidel Sarmiento KO 2 Aug 24, 2001   Barranquilla, Colombia
4 Win 4–0   Saul Torres KO 1 May 18, 2001   Barranquilla, Colombia
3 Win 3–0   Vidal Diaz TKO 1 (4) Apr 27, 2001   Polideportivo San Felipe, Barranquilla, Colombia
2 Win 2–0   Luis Blandon KO 1 (6) Mar 30, 2001   Barranquilla, Colombia
1 Win 1–0   Jose Chiquillo TKO 1 Mar 16, 2001   Barranquilla, Colombia Professional debut

References

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  1. ^ Malinowski, Scoop (2006-07-12). "One on One With The Amazing Edison Miranda". East Side Boxing. Retrieved 2008-06-23.
  2. ^ Tessitore, Joe (2007-03-21). Abandoned child never lost sight of his will to prevail . ESPN.com. Retrieved on 2007-12-13.
  3. ^ a b "Edison Miranda Bio". HBO. 2007-05-21. Archived from the original on 2009-02-21. Retrieved 2008-06-23.
  4. ^ Gregg, John (2007-03-24). "Miranda TKO's Eastman". The Boxing Times. Archived from the original on 2007-08-09. Retrieved 2007-12-13.
  5. ^ Evan, Young (2006-08-24). "Robbery in Germany!". BoxingForecast.com. Archived from the original on 2009-05-22. Retrieved 2008-06-06.
  6. ^ Gregg, John (2007-12-16). "Miranda Blasts Out Gibbs In One". The Boxing Times. Retrieved 2007-12-14.[dead link]
  7. ^ Escobar, Luis (2007-03-03). "Hard Hitting Miranda Grinds Down Green". The Boxing Times. Archived from the original on 2007-10-11. Retrieved 2007-12-14.
  8. ^ Young, Evan (2007-05-21). "Kelly Pavlik KO7 Edison Miranda". BoxingForecast.com. Archived from the original on 2008-01-12. Retrieved 2007-12-15.
  9. ^ Mattox, Christopher (2007-11-02). "Miranda scores 5th-round TKO over Porras". Broward Times. Archived from the original on 2007-10-19. Retrieved 2007-12-15.
  10. ^ Escobar, Luis (2008-01-11). "Miranda Blasts Out Banks". The Boxing Times. Retrieved 2008-01-12.[dead link]
  11. ^ Rafael, Dan (2008-12-26). "Miranda right turns out lights on Banks, earns KOY honors". ESPN.com. Retrieved 2008-12-27.
  12. ^ "Abraham batters Miranda". Yahoo! Sports. 2008-06-22. Retrieved 2008-06-23.[permanent dead link]
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Sporting positions
Regional boxing titles
Vacant
Title last held by
Rogerio Cacciatore
IBF Latino middleweight champion
June 16, 2005 – September 23, 2006
Lost bid for world title
Vacant
Title next held by
Hector Saldivia
Vacant
Title last held by
Mariano Natalio Carrera
WBO Latino middleweight champion
June 16, 2005 – July 2005
Vacated
Vacant
Title next held by
Francisco Antonio Mora
Vacant
Title last held by
Randy Griffin
WBO–NABO middleweight champion
June 16, 2005 – February 2006
Vacated
Vacant
Title next held by
Joey Gilbert
Vacant
Title last held by
Francisco Antonio Mora
WBO Latino middleweight champion
October 21, 2005 – September 2006
Vacated
Vacant
Title next held by
Erik Rafael Esquivel
Vacant
Title last held by
Andre Dirrell
WBO–NABO
super middleweight champion
Interim title

October 22, 2009 – April 2010
Vacated
Title discontinued