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The vacant WBO flyweight title was up for grabs last night at Centro de Convenciones in Puebla and longtime divisional contender Julio Cesar Miranda finally made his way onto the world stage in explosive fashion.
Miranda was coming off a busy 2009, a year that saw him drop an Interim WBA title challenge to Pongasaklek Wonjongkam, win an IBF title eliminator over Eric Ortiz before losing a vacant BF title challenge to Moruti Mthalane.
Undeterred, the 30 year old Tampico resident got back on the horse to stop Faustino Cupul for the vacant IBF Latino crown this past April.
Facing Miranda last night for the vacant WBO strap was Filipino southpaw Ritchie Mepranum, a former Phillipine and WBO Oriental titlist who had won two high profile bouts in the American fight capital of Las Vegas before shocking previously undefeated big-punching super flyweight contender Hernan Marquez in Texas.
But Mepranum was unable to keep Miranda at bay once the bell rang in Puebla as the Mexican got inside to mount a punishing two-handed assault on the Filipino southpaw.
Mepranum was able to land against the incoming Miranda but did not have the punch to dissuade the relentless body punching of the local man.
By the fourth Mepranum was on the canvas and while he beat the count it was only a matter of time and after two more floorings, the bout was stopped in the fifth frame.
Miranda wins the vacant WBO flyweight strap while improving to 32-5-1 (25). Mepranum, who falls to 22-2-1 (5), sees an eight bout win streak evaporate.
The undercard saw hammer-fisted super bantam Rodolfo Hernandez, 18-1-1 (17), gun down overmatched opponent Reynaldo Cajina, 8-5-2 (5), in the first round to annex the vacant NABO belt.
