ESPN: Andre Ward vs. Edison Miranda set for May 16th

Ward-Miranda bout set for May 16 By Dan Rafael ESPN.com It's been a slow and steady climb up the pro ranks for Andre Ward since winning the only Olympic boxing gold medal for the United States at the Athens Games. But now, he's on the move. Ward will face the most seasoned opponent of his career when he takes on battle-tested contender Edison Miranda on May 16 at the Oracle Arena in Ward's hometown of Oakland, Calif., promoter Dan Goossen told ESPN.com Tuesday. Showtime will have live coverage of the scheduled 12-round super middleweight bout on "ShoBox: The New Generation." "This fight fits into our plan of having Andre fight for that world title by the end of the year," Goossen said. "Miranda is the kind of contender who will be a barometer for Andre to show the world that he is ready for that next step. We think it's a tremendous matchup. It's a high-profile fight in his hometown. Those are the types of events you like to do." Ward (18-0, 12 KOs), 25, has moved much slower than previous Olympic gold medalists, but a big part of that is because of injury-related setbacks. Thumb and knee injuries put him on the shelf for long stretches. But he returned from a knee injury in December to blow out Esteban Camou in three rounds followed by a shutout decision against Henry Buchanan in February. Colombia's Miranda (32-3, 28 KOs), 28, a former middleweight title challenger, figures to pose more of a test. "Andre has only 18 fights but maturity-wise, he's had 36 fights," Goossen said. "I believe he's a seasoned veteran right now and ready for the next level of a fight with someone like Edison Miranda, who is a dangerous fighter and a confident fighter. You know Edison won't stop running his mouth either about how he's going to knock Andre Ward out." Although Ward has fought in San Jose several times, it will be his first professional fight in Oakland. "Andre has been wanting to fight in Oakland for the longest time," Goossen said. "We said when we bring you to Oakland, we want it to be something significant. That's what this is. Ken Hershman stepped to the plate to make this happen. He realized what a great fight it was and he got it done and we appreciate that." Showtime has become heavily involved in the deep super middleweight division, televising many of the top names in the division. It has been featuring Ward and Olympic teammate Andre Dirrell on "ShoBox" as well as titleholder Lucian Bute and contender Librado Andrade. For its top series, "Showtime Championship Boxing," it recently signed former middleweight champion Jermain Taylor, who will challenge for a super middleweight belt against Carl Froch on April 25. Another super middleweight contender, Allan Green, who lost to Miranda in 2007, will appear on the Froch-Taylor undercard. Miranda lost a controversial decision to middleweight titlist Arthur Abraham in 2006. In his two other defeats, he was stopped by Kelly Pavlik in the seventh round of a 2007 slugfest one fight before Pavlik won the middleweight championship. In a super middleweight nontitle rematch with Abraham last summer, Abraham stopped him in the fourth round. Since that defeat, Miranda has won two in a row by knockout, albeit against lesser opponents Manuel Esparza and Joey Vegas. "It's a crossroads fight," Miranda promoter Leon Margules of Seminole Warriors Boxing said. "I think Miranda is a better puncher, so it will be interesting to see what happens when they hit each other. But it's a great challenge for both guys. We're going to find out how good Andre Ward is and we will find out how much Miranda still has in the tank." Source: http://sports.espn.go.com/sports/boxing/news/story?id=4050674