By Ryan Songalia
Photo © Javiel Centeno/Fightwireimages.com
When the scorecards were read following Edison Miranda's first title shot, the tallies were in favor of Arthur Abraham, earning the hometown champion the third successful defense of his IBF Middleweight title. Dejected but positive about his own performance, the Colombian slugger they call "Pantera" knew that he had won the drama of the fight in Wetzler, Germany. Even in losing his undefeated record, Miranda's ability to remain composed and upbeat was commendable. When you've been where Miranda's been, these kind of things are but minor setbacks.
Born in Buenaventura, Colombia, Miranda's childhood was marked by hard circumstances and the necessity to fend for himself at a young age. "I grew up in an area far away from the city," explains Miranda. "I worked very hard in the fields helping the people that I was given to. I had no friends and basically worked all day up to nine years old."
Miranda was orphaned at a young age, forced to find his own shelter when his mother was unable to care for him. After a sojourn across Colombia as a young boy in an effort to reunite with his mother, he found himself once again rejected by a young mother who wasn't able to provide for her son. "It hurt me very much to be rejected yet a second time, especially knowing that I had no place to sleep from that point on. Now, I accept her decision because I believe that your mother is your mother and you must forgive her for her faults."
From the age of nine, the street smart Miranda had to learn to survive on his own. "I actually learned to read from a drug dealer on the streets," reflects the 26 year old middleweight. "He told me how important it was and we started with the Bible. It was the Bible that inspired me to learn to read. To this day, I read it each night."
"I ate whatever I could find, whether it be road kill or food from the trash. I slept in parks and at construction sites covering myself with a tarp. It was very rough."
On the tough streets of Colombia, Miranda developed a canny urban mentality that enabled him to survive in adverse circumstances. "There were several times I had fights, but not as many as one might think. For the most part I was very street smart. I tried different things than most people in the streets. I tried to build relationships so that people could take care of me and even give me jobs in order to make money. By going this route, I stayed out of fighting for the most part."
It wasn't until a dream one night about a sport Miranda had never seen before that Edison found his calling in life. "I had never seen a boxing match and didn't know anything about the sport. When I woke up the next day I searched for help to find a boxing gym."
"Finally, one guy led me to a gym where I was introduced to a trainer named Mr. Beltran. He told me how dedicated I must be if I wanted to succeed and I listened. From that point on, I never turned back."
After amassing an amateur record of 128-4 and a trip to the 2000 Olympics, Miranda turned pro in 2001. After a few local fights, Miranda took his career abroad and settled in the Dominican Republic. Lured in by lucrative offers, Miranda was disenchanted at his mishandling and misappropriation of resources.
"I was brought to DR for the promise of many fights with a promoter," Miranda explains. "It did not work out like expected. In boxing there is a lot of unfair people out there. They did hurt me financially by taking all my money, but I continued to fight on. I believe if you keep chasing your dreams you will succeed, no matter who gets in your way. This proved to be true."
It did prove to be true when he began landing big fights in America under the Warrior's Boxing promotional banner by 2005. With a 25-0 (22 KO) record, Miranda stepped up on the national scene against talented veteran Howard Eastman on ESPN. Eastman, who had never previously been knocked out, used his professional savvy to make it a very difficult assignment, even having Miranda in significant difficulty in the middle rounds. By the seventh round, Miranda was in total command and finally finished off the tough Englishman with a devastating combination in the corner.
"It was a great win for me. It changed my life in that it put me in the center of attention for boxing."
Indeed, Miranda was now an in demand fighter on the cusp of legitimate stardom. All that stood in his way was his title fight with German titlist Arthur Abraham. In what was a highly anticipated affair, both men lived up to their end of the deal in staging a violent, tremendously damaging performance that left both men with a reason to sleep in the next morning. After a quick start by Abraham, Miranda completely turned the complexion of the fight with a right hand that broke Abraham's jaw.
"I knew I hurt him bad. Every time I punched him I saw his jaw moving around. I felt bad for the kid that his team made him go in there and fight when they knew his jaw was broken. Thank God I have people that care for me and would never send me in like that. I actually felt bad hitting him in the later rounds because I knew I was hurting his future. I guess it's a mutual respect from boxer to boxer."
Seeing the pot of gold at the end of the tunnel, Miranda turned it up another notch to seal victory. However, Miranda became over-zealous and was deducted 2 points for a headbutt by referee Randy Neuman. It was the first infraction that would eventually result in 5 points being deducted from Pantera.
What may have been most controversial in that round was the extended reprieve that was offered to Abraham. Following the butt, Neuman brought the defending champion to visit with the doctor. Abraham, who clearly wanted out of the bout, was practically forced out to continue by trainer Ulli Wegner.
Miranda states, "I was standing there and the ref yelled out TKO win for Miranda. I knew I won and then I hear this arguing from Abraham's promoter in the stands. He was demanding that the ref make the fight go on. I've never seen this before, and that's when I knew this was going to be tough to get a decision."
"It was the strangest thing ever, especially with his promoter telling the ref what to do and with him getting all of this medical treatment from his corner. It was bizarre and unfair, but what can you do. We were in Germany and these things happen there."
Down the stretch, Abraham, who was clearly adversely affected by the damage to his jaw, remained in survival mode the rest of the night. Miranda clearly outfought Abraham the rest of the night, but it became impossible for Pantera to win on the cards after being docked five points. Miranda picked up his first loss, but won the drama of the affair.
"To Abraham's credit, he took a beating and I respect him for that. As for the loss, it's okay. I believe God has a path for everyone and this loss was meant to be. In hindsight, it might have helped me get on HBO and do what I'm doing today."
And get on HBO he did. Fresh off the buzz of the most talked about international fight since Wladimir Klitschko-Corrie Sanders, Miranda signed to make his HBO Boxing After Dark debut against former amateur standout Willie Gibbs.
Set out to be impressive, he did just that. For all 2:59 of it atleast. All it took was one right hand, and Willie Gibbs was rendered completely incoherent. As HBO commentator Max Kellerman showered praise of Miranda's merits, comparing him favorably to Julian Jackson, it was apparent that Miranda was the man that people wanted to see.
"It was a huge win for me because I set out to impress the people at HBO. I know that if I become a boxer that the world wants to watch then HBO or Showtime will always want me back on their networks. So, I did just that."
Already at 26, Miranda has lived quite an extraordinary life. From rags to riches does not begin to describe it, it only summarizes it. When asked where he'd be without boxing, Miranda explained, "Tough answer. I think I'm smart enough to the point where I would have learned some kind of trade and made some money for myself. Nothing big, but maybe enough to provide shelter."
Pantera credits his tough childhood as providing him with the intrinsic strengths that make him special as a fighter. "I think that if one experienced what I went through in my childhood in Colombia they would definitely agree. I've been through hell at times. So when I step into a ring, I am not scared of anything; not the opponent, not the crowd - nothing! Since boxing is a big mental game, this gives me a huge advantage."
Despite his troubled upbringing, Miranda maintains a playful spirit that is remarkably refreshing given his background. "Everyone tells me I'm hilarious. I guess I am. The truth is I'm just being myself. Life is too short to always be serious. When I'm in the gym, I'm serious, but outside, the more I can laugh and make people laugh the better."
Far away from the rugged streets of Colombia, Miranda now makes his home in San Juan, Puerto Rico. "I love living here. The people have taken me as one of their own and it's a beautiful country. I have new friends here and the country has given me all the support one can ask for."
"Boxing has literally taken me off the streets and provided a roof over my head. I am grateful for that. It has given me some celebrity status and money, but those are not important in life. I am just happy to do what I like to do and that is box."
Now at the peak of his skills, Miranda has elected to play with fire in front of his adopted hometown of San Juan against violent slugger Allan Green of Tulsa, Oklahoma. Here is one of those matchups that you dream about, and when they come along, you can only put the kids to bed early and hold onto your seat.
Just as in the Abraham fight, bad blood has begun to spew over already with both camps deriding one another. Green has stated that he felt Miranda was "stupid" and a "one-dimensional fighter." Miranda feels that the derogatory remarks will only work to fuel his fire when they meet on March 3rd on the undercard of Miguel Cotto's title defense against overmatched Oktay Urkal.
"I prepare for every fight like it's the biggest fight of my life," Miranda began about his upcoming fight with Green, which is expected to contend for Fight of the Year honors. "I will be ready for him and I will break him down. He does not intimidate me whatsoever. I think he is going to be quite surprised when my first punch lands. I will not go for a KO but I really think it will come naturally."
Assuming that all goes according to plan, Miranda has his eyes on the prize at the top of the middleweight heap. "I would love to fight Taylor. For one, he has all the belts so I would be stealing them from him. For two, he does not impress me. I want to prove to the world that the belts are in the wrong guy's house. Now that I'm an HBO fighter the possibility of this happening is greater. Of course, I need to take care of Green first and then see what HBO and my promoters present to me."
No matter what happens from here on out, no one can dispute the merit of Miranda as a human being. Refreshingly humble, Edison Miranda is a person who has very serious prospects as a fighter, and even greater prospects as a man. "I want to set an example for all the kids of the world that if you believe in something and work hard, things will happen for you. When I'm done with boxing my dream would be to help children in need. I want to give back."
"I want to be looked at as good sportsman and a true winner." For Edison Miranda, mission accomplished.
Any questions or comments? Send them to me at mc_rson@yahoo.com