By Cliff Rold

Two world-class warriors are going to hit and get hit. 

Hard.

That’s what happened the first time around.  That’s the promise at hand this weekend as 28-year old German-based IBF Middleweight titlist Arthur Abraham (26-0, 21 KO) of Armenia makes his U.S. debut in a rematch with 27-year old power-punching Edison Miranda (30-2, 26 KO) of Colombia.  For those who have had the chance to see the original either live or making its rounds on the Showtime family of networks this week, the rematch can’t get here soon enough.

For those who have still just read about the original, it should still be high on the list of must-see sporting events of the summer.  Monday gave a chance to look back at that first fight in all it’s nasty glory: https://www.boxingscene.com/index.php?m=show&id=14478  Now it’s time to get ready for chapter two.  It won’t be a title fight as the men will come in at a catchweight of 166 lbs., but it will most certainly be a Fight.

Let’s go to the report card.

Speed:  Neither man is going to make anyone forget Ray Leonard in the speed department, but for guys with legitimate one-shot knockout power both Abraham and Miranda have solid athletic speed.  Miranda is the more fluid of the two, but sometimes gets a little wild.  Other times, he can get a lot wild.  That doesn’t mean he doesn’t land though.  Miranda often can catches foes with arcing shots they don’t see coming.  Miranda’s also has an uppercut that snaps with violent speed and result (anyone remember his knocking Howard Eastman’s head near off his shoulders). 

Abraham has a more limited punch output, picking his spots, but he was all over Miranda with lead left hooks prior to breaking his jaw the first time.  He also has an educated, well-timed jab.  It can be forgotten that Miranda was hurt far more often in the first fight because he would get caught blind by well-timed, quick power shots.  Abraham has shown excellent counter and combination speed in encounters with Kingsley Ikeke, Eastman and in an entertaining brawl last year fellow Armenian Khoren Gevor.  Pre-Fight Grades: Abraham B; Miranda B

Power: Speed is not what drives anticipation for this fight.  Miranda has built a solid fan following win or lose because he can whack and because he makes it so obvious that wants to do little else.  He put Allan Greene down twice and almost out; Contender Season Three alum David Banks may still be asleep.  He’s the sort of thriller who is almost loss proof.  Abraham doesn’t have that advantage, at least not in the U.S. 

As a foreign-based fighter, a loss would push him far from the big chances he wants to crack the big money that would come with, say, World Middleweight champ Kelly Pavlik.  Abraham though does have the advantage of excellent power.  Anyone who saw his win over Gevor last year knows what I mean (seriously…YouTube it…grotesque knockout shot).  His left hook, connected clean, is one of the best punches in the entire sport right now.  He’s also got a hell of a right hand, able to work it from distance and in close.  He doesn’t appear to hit harder that Miranda one at a time, but he gets his power home more often.  It’ what kept him alive late with a jaw broken in two places the first time; he’ll need it again to win Saturday.  Pre-Fight Grades: Miranda A; Abraham B+

Defense:  Abraham is the far superior defensive fighter, but his defense can sometimes be a handicap.  His battered face and bones the first time came because while he was able to block many shots with the high, tight guard he employs, Abraham gave Miranda too much free reign to come around the gloves and club the sides of his head and slam downstairs.  Abraham doesn’t have the sort of subtle head movement of a Floyd Mayweather, but he slips shots well.  Miranda comes forward so tenaciously, so fast, that he can be hard to hit.  He’s a whirl of motion.  His problem is that sometimes he comes in with his head straight down.  He’s been hurt badly by Eastman, Green (who had him on the floor), Pavlik (who stopped him), and Abraham made his knees wobble multiple times.  It’s not a bad chin; it’s that he leaves his chin so open.  Pre-Fight Grades: Abraham B+; Miranda B-

Intangibles: There is a mental element to this fight which can not be ignored.  Since their first fight, Miranda has fought superior competition in Green and Pavlik, but the latter fight was a decisive whooping in defeat.  Since then, he’s had two safe opponents meant to rebuild confidence for a moment like this.  Abraham conversely has fought four times against decent opposition, but none of them could punch.  The steel pates that put his jawbone back together, and any lingering doubts he might have about the injuries, have not been tested.  Going into the ring on Saturday, Abraham knows that prior to the injuries the first time, he was beating Miranda soundly and hurting him.  He also knows that even with his body screaming for an end, he still won the fight.  Miranda has been knocked out; Abraham’s seen it and he can use that to bolster his confidence.  After all, he’s never been down, has displayed a so far reliable chin, and the only times he was wobbled the first time, it was more from “Stop hitting my broken face” then “Where did my legs go?” 

Will Miranda be able to deal with being in trouble again if he gets hurt, if he faces the sort of adversity their first fight brought and that Pavlik overwhelmed him with?  Do the memories of survival and victory against Green and Eastman trump?  Will fighting at a weight where Miranda isn’t forced to focus so much on beating the scales make him more comfortable?  There are just more questions for the Colombian.  The elements of this fight that rest more in mind than body appear to favor Abraham.  Pre-Fight Grades: Abraham B+; Miranda B

Overall Report Card: Abraham B+; Miranda B

The Pick:  Before getting to the winner of the fight, loyal readers everywhere can know that they will be winning twice this Saturday.  After all, not only is this almost a lock to be a damn good fight, but it’s running live in a place where literally millions more will see it than saw the original.

Those millions more should see an Abraham win.  While Miranda certainly got his pound of flesh the first time around, it all came after the injury.  I can’t remember the last time a broken jaw happened in two fights between the same guys which means the result here probably looks more like the first half of the first fight than the second half.  In that first half, Miranda looked well on his way to a lopsided loss and probably by stoppage.  He’s picked up more wear on his tires since the first bout than Abraham has which could mean lesser punch resistance.  It’s a must win for both fighters as Abraham attempts to cross over and Miranda attempts to establish himself again as the fast track future titlist he once appeared to be. 

In this must win, Abraham does win sometime after the eighth round.  Then the Boxing world can turn its attention from this excellent match to the when of an even better one: Pavlik-Abraham.

Cliff Rold is a member of the Ring Magazine Ratings Advisory Panel and the Boxing Writers Association of America.  He can be reached at roldboxing@hotmail.com