Edison Miranda


Edison Miranda is a Colombian former professional boxer who competed from 2001 to 2014. 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.

Early life

Miranda was born in 1981 in Buenaventura, Colombia and was abandoned by his mother when he was one month old. At age nine, that if Miranda was really the little boy his sister gave away, then he should have a birthmark on his leg. 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. 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.

Professional career

Middleweight

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.

IBF title eliminator

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.

IBF title fight

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.

Miranda vs. Gibbs, 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.
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.

WBC title eliminator

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. 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

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.
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. The knockout was named "Knockout of the Year" by ESPN.com's Dan Rafael, and also was accoladed as Ring Magazine Knockout of the Year for 2008.

Rematch with Abraham

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, 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.

Fight with Lucian Bute

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

No.ResultRecordOpponentTypeRound, timeDateLocationNotes
46Win36–10 Daniel NogueraKO1, 2:21Sep 7, 2014 Patio Casa Los Caracoles, Tolú, Colombia
45Loss35–10 Yuniel DorticosUD10Jul 10, 2014 American Airlines Arena, Miami, Florida, U.S.For WBC Latino cruiserweight title
44Loss35–9 Eleider ÁlvarezUD10Sep 28, 2013 Bell Centre, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
43Loss35–8 Tony BellewTKO9, 1:54Sep 8, 2012 Alexandra Palace, London, EnglandFor vacant WBC Silver International light heavyweight title
42Loss35–7 Isaac ChilembaUD10Feb 3, 2012 Texas Station, North Las Vegas, Nevada, U.S.
41Win35–6 Kariz KariukiTKO5, 2:15Dec 17, 2011 Boardwalk Hall, Atlantic City, New Jersey, U.S.
40Loss34–6 Yordanis Despaigne5, 0:45Jul 29, 2011 Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas, Paradise, Nevada, U.S.Miranda disqualified for repeated low blows
39Win34–5 Rayco SaundersUD8Jun 4, 2011 Boardwalk Hall, Atlantic City, New Jersey, U.S.
38Loss33–5 Lucian ButeTKO3, 1:22Apr 17, 2010 Bell Centre, Montreal, Quebec, CanadaFor IBF super middleweight title
37Win33–4 Francisco SierraKO1, 2:16Oct 22, 2009 Tachi Palace Hotel & Casino, Lemoore, California, U.S.Won vacant WBO–NABO interim super middleweight title
36Loss32–4 Andre WardUD12May 16, 2009 Oracle Arena, Oakland, California, U.S.For NABF and WBO–NABO super middleweight titles
35Win32–3 Joey VegasTKO5, 2:31Mar 20, 2009 York Hall, London, England
34Win31–3 Manuel EsparzaKO3, 0:57Jan 14, 2009 Hard Rock Live, Hollywood, Florida, U.S.
33Loss30–3 Arthur AbrahamTKO4, 1:13Jun 24, 2008 Hard Rock Live, Hollywood, Florida, U.S.
32Win30–2 David BanksKO3, 1:15Jan 11, 2008 Hard Rock Live, Hollywood, Florida, U.S.
31Win29–2 Henry PorrasTKO5, 2:45Oct 30, 2007 Hard Rock Live, Hollywood, Florida, U.S.
30Loss28–2 Kelly PavlikTKO7, 1:54May 19, 2007 FedExForum, Memphis, Tennessee, U.S.
29Win28–1 Allan GreenUD10Mar 3, 2007 Roberto Clemente Coliseum, San Juan, Puerto Rico
28Win27–1 Willie GibbsKO1, 2:59Dec 16, 2006 Miccosukee Resort & Gaming, Miami, Florida, U.S.
27Loss26–1 Arthur AbrahamUD12Sep 23, 2006 Rittal Arena, Wetzlar, GermanyFor IBF middleweight title
26Win26–0 Howard EastmanTKO7, 2:33Mar 24, 2006 Hard Rock Live, Hollywood, Florida, U.S.
25Win25–0 Sherwin DavisKO3, 0:37Oct 21, 2005 Hard Rock Live, Hollywood, Florida, U.S.Retained IBF Latino and WBO–NABO middleweight titles;
Won vacant WBO Latino middleweight title
24Win24–0 Hilario GuzmanUD6Aug 26, 2005 Hard Rock Live, Hollywood, Florida, U.S.
23Win23–0 Jose VarelaUD12Jun 16, 2005 Seminole Casino, Coconut Creek, Florida, U.S.Won vacant IBF Latino, WBO Latino, and WBO–NABO middleweight titles
22Win22–0 Sam Reese10May 20, 2005 Hard Rock Live, Hollywood, Florida, U.S.
21Win21–0 Saul TorresKO1, 2:59Feb 26, 2005 Romelio Martínez Stadium, Barranquilla, Colombia
20Win20–0 Jonalis ReyesKO1Dec 11, 2004 San Pedro de Macorís, Dominican Republic
19Win19–0 Darmel CastilloTKO5, 1:14Aug 29, 2003 Magnum Eventos, Panama City, Panama
18Win18–0 Feliberto AlvarezKO3 Jul 28, 2003 Club San Carlos, Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic
17Win17–0 Hector RodriguezKO1Jul 25, 2003 Polideportivo, Moca, Dominican Republic
16Win16–0 Meregildo De Los SantosKO1Jul 20, 2003 Cotuí, Dominican Republic
15Win15–0 Manuel De la RosaKO2 Jun 14, 2003 La Romana, Dominican Republic
14Win14–0 Jose Luis RoblesKO1Apr 15, 2003 Club Los Cachorros, Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic
13Win13–0 Danilo SerranoKO1Apr 10, 2003 Club Los Cachorros, Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic
12Win12–0 Roberto JimenezKO1Apr 1, 2003 Club Los Cachorros, Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic
11Win11–0 Joselito del RosarioKO1 Mar 21, 2003 Coliseo de boxeo Carlos "Teo" Cruz, Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic
10Win10–0 Rafael de la CruzKO2Jun 15, 2002 San Cristóbal, Dominican Republic
9Win9–0 Joselito del RosarioKO1Jun 12, 2002 Club Los Cachorros, Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic
8Win8–0 Nelson GilKO1Jun 5, 2002 Estadio Olímpico Juan Pablo Duarte, Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic
7Win7–0 Jose ChiquilloKO1Dec 14, 2001 Cartagena, Colombia
6Win6–0 Alfonso MosqueraTKO1, 3:00Oct 5, 2001 Roberto Durán Arena, Panama City, Panama
5Win5–0 Fidel SarmientoKO2Aug 24, 2001 Barranquilla, Colombia
4Win4–0 Saul TorresKO1May 18, 2001 Barranquilla, Colombia
3Win3–0 Vidal DiazTKO1 Apr 27, 2001 Polideportivo San Felipe, Barranquilla, Colombia
2Win2–0 Luis Blandon1 Mar 30, 2001 Barranquilla, Colombia
1Win1–0 Jose Chiquillo1Mar 16, 2001 Barranquilla, ColombiaProfessional debut