The on going saga of Abraham & Miranda. Press snippets & an interview. Good read

The on going saga of Arthur Abraham & Edison Miranda...I hope that the war in the ring is as interesting & surprising as the war of words that theyv'e been engaged in over the last two months.

Read on...

Abraham: "I'll put Miranda in his place"

http://www.eastsideboxing.com/news.php?p=8047&more=1

25.08.06 - Only four days after the postponement of the IBF middleweight world championship bout between Arthur Abraham and challenger Edison Miranda the fight has been rescheduled today. Abraham is going to defend his belt on September 23 in Wetzlar, Germany. Wilfried Sauerland: “We tried hard to re-organize the fight quickly, the date on September 23rd has already been coordinated with our TV partner ARD. Therefore this is the easiest and best solution.”

Challenger Edison „Pantera“ Miranda who already travelled to Germany together with his team last week reacted with verbal attacks after the fight was postponed because Abraham developed the Flu.

“Is he sick? I doubt it – probably just a case of cold feet. Word got out in Germany about my power - perhaps he read the polls that said over 50% of the boxing world thinks I am going to knock him out in his back yard!”, the Colombian living in the USA commented on the fight´s postponement.

“The truth is he will never be ready. But I give the guy some credit – now he gets to enjoy the belt for another month before I steal it from him.”

Abraham again reacted calmly to his opponent´s verbal attacks. “In the meantime we already know that he trash talks a lot”, the champion says.

“If his fists are even fast as his mouth, it may be an interesting fight. Of course I regret having to postpone the fight. I didn´t struggle during the three-month preparation for nothing. At the moment my state of health is not 100% but the medicine has been a great help to me and I´m feeling better. I think I can start to train next week. I'll put Miranda in his place on September 23.”


Team Miranda hopes that Arthur Abraham doesn’t catch cold feet again on Sept 23

http://www.eastsideboxing.com/news.php?p=8046&more=1

HOLLYWOOD, FL, August 25 – A new date has been set for the IBF Middleweight World Title fight between Edison Miranda and Arthur Abraham for September 23, 2006 at the Rittal Arena in Wetzlar, Germany. The fight, which was originally scheduled for this Saturday, August 26th at the EWE-Arena in Oldenburg, Germany, was postponed when Abraham suddenly developed the Flu..

“We are extremely excited that the fight has been rescheduled,” said Leon Margules, Executive Director of Seminole Warriors Boxing.

“We are looking forward to bringing the IBF Middleweight World Title belt home where it belongs and we hope that Abraham doesn’t catch cold feet again.”

“I can’t wait to get in the ring with him and give him a taste of my power,” said Edison Miranda.

“If he thinks he was sick for the first fight just wait until September 23rd, I will be ready and I hope he will be to.”

For more information on Seminole Warriors Boxing, please visit www.warriorsboxing.com

Arthur Abraham Interview: “I don’t wish Miranda’s childhood on anybody!”

http://www.eastsideboxing.com/news.php?p=8048&more=1

25.08.06 - By Izyaslav “Slava” Koza: Last Saturday, I spoke with the IBF Middleweight champion Armenian, Arthur Abraham, effectively a week before what was to be the second defense of his title against Colombian, Edison Miranda. As it turns out, this Saturday we will not have the chance to see the bout due to the champion coming down with the flu (Author’s note: the interview took place before the fight was cancelled).

Leading up to the bout, which as of today is scheduled for September 23rd, there were many verbal jabs and hooks traded between both camps in order to spice up the interest and the bout. However, after speaking with Arthur this past week, I feel this is more a matter of competitive hostility rather than all out animosity. Hopefully, the fight will come off successfully and Arthur gets better fast.

ESB: Good Evening, Arthur! How is it going? What’s new in your life?

Arthur: Evening! Everything is ok. I just finished training for the fight and I will rest a bit now.

ESB: How was the training?

Arthur: Everything was great. Good sparring partners, gave me a good work out, I listened to my trainer a lot and now I am just ready to fight and to win.

ESB: Who did you spar with and how many rounds did you go?

Arthur: With Ashira, with Stepjan Bozic, and a third guy, a Russian, but I forgot his name. Bozic is Croatian and he is a good fighter, too. I did about 6-8, depending on the day, something like that.

ESB: Often times, many fighters say it is harder to defend a title than to win it. Do you think the fight with Jantuah was harder than with Ikeke?

Arthur: Yeah, of course. Slavik, this is absolutely true, it is extremely difficult. It is hard to win the title of course but to hold it, is even harder. Jantuah was my toughest fight and he was very uncomfortable as an opponent.

ESB: Some of our readers want to know, if when you were fighting Jantuah, was it your plan to fight all 12 rounds or was it a matter of what he was doing?

Arthur: I don’t have plans of this nature. You can’t determine what the result of any given fight will be beforehand and say, 'I want a KO or a points win.' Everybody wants a first round knockout but this is quite rare. It all depends on your opponent and the tactics he uses and you can only truly see that when you are in the ring with him.

ESB: What are yours plans going be for the week before the fight?

Arthur: Oh, the usual: press conferences, light training, weigh-in and that is it, the fight. The most important thing is the fight.

ESB: Regardless of the result, what plans do you have after the fight? What will you do? Will you go home, maybe?

Arthur: I have no plans really, cause I am just too focused on the fight. As far as going home, yeah, I will go for a few days, then my dad will come here. My mom is already here.

ESB: Will Alex go, too?

Arthur: No, he will stay. I will go for only about a week.

ESB: How are negotiations going with Jermain Taylor and HBO? Any new details?

Arthur: Sure, that is still happening, my promoter Wilfried Sauerland is handling this, as usual. Of course, I can only think one step ahead. I want to face them all but only one at a time. As we say, 'The quieter the ride, the longer the distance.' (Laughing)

ESB: (Laughing)

Arthur: Yeah, if everything will go ok, then next year, I will probably be fighting in America. It’s possible that Jermain Taylor will be the opponent, although that is what I know things can and do change.

ESB: Did you watch Jermain Taylor vs. Winky Wright? Who did you think won?

Arthur: Of course! And I think Wright won. I didn’t score it but I thought he looked stronger.

ESB: Well, then, that begs the question, if you think he won, then why not try to fight him or is it harder to agree to terms there?

Arthur: It's very simple, actually, because whoever the champion is, he's the guy I want to fight. I want to become the “Super” champ, you know?

ESB: I understand. Well, why do you think Felix Sturm lost to Castillejo? Are there any negotiations with Castilejo?

Arthur: Felix lost because he chose the wrong tactic. He wanted to brawl with him but he is not a brawler; rather, he's a technical boxer and so he lost.

ESB: Are you acquainted with Felix Sturm?

Arthur: Of course, we speak often. Maybe we aren’t friends, so to say, but we are well acquainted.

ESB: Did he say something in regards to his loss?

Arthur: No, and really a week after the fight, his mother died, so he is in mourning now and he is not talking much. It’s hard to talk about that, you know?

ESB: I understand. Would you want to fight Castillejo?

Arthur: For me, it's not that interesting and Jermain Taylor is the better fight. Although he (Castillejo) is the champion now, so it is possible. However, he has a rematch clause with Sturm in his contract, so it would be difficult to set up in the near future.

ESB: Why do you think Miranda is trying to insult you so much?

Arthur: Really? well, what did he say this time?

ESB: Oh, you know, the usual, 'I will knock him out,' and so forth.

Arthur: How many times has one guy said, “I will knock him out and then ended up being knocked out themselves?” I am not that kind of person; If I say something, then I will do it. If not, then after I do it, I will talk. I try not to throw words out into thin air. Let him talk cause when he will feel one of my punches, then everything else becomes irrelevant and he is thinking about something else.

ESB: Do you think it is a psychological ploy?

Arthur: Nah, he is not that big to do that. Nobody has ever done it to me, anyway (laughing).

ESB: Maybe it’s a way to market the fight to the public and to entertain them?

Arthur: Well, if he is the kind of guy who likes to entertain the public with his mouth, then it will be interesting. I would rather try to entertain the public with my skill in the ring.

ESB: They say Miranda had a difficult childhood. How does your own stack up?

Arthur: Everybody has their own difficulties and problems in life. Mine was not as difficult as his and I don’t wish Miranda’s childhood on anybody. I had my share of problems but I don’t want to talk about them now. Thank God everything is ok now, and we are living well, and we have everything we need.

My childhood was normal. Good family, hard working parents, and so on. We studied sports from an early age, about 7, Karate then before that Gymnastics. We never had issues with our parents and we still live with them together in the same house.

ESB: Yeah, relative to say, Roy Jones Jr. or Floyd Mayweather Jr., this seems rare.

Arthur: Yeah, we love them very much, and my brother and I said, they shall not work anymore and we will do everything we can so they live well. We bought them cars, a house and everything else they may need.

ESB: What kind of cars?

Arthur: Mercedes

ESB: Weren’t they going to move to Germany?

Arthur: Yeah, well, mom is here now and dad will come soon on September 11th, cause mom’s birthday is coming up. I wanted them to come after the fight because they don’t like to watch my bouts.

ESB: Wish her well from us. Recently in another interview, you said Miranda has no real strengths as a fighter. However, against Eastman, he won via knockout and you by points. Do you think he is a stronger puncher than you?

Arthur: Probably, he is a stronger puncher, but a tractor is also stronger than a BMW, but who is better on the road?

ESB: (laughing) Nicely put.

Arthur: Exactly, because in the ring, the winner will be the guy whose head works better, not who can swing the hardest. The smarter guy will win.

ESB: Yeah, sort of like that big, fat, white guy, Butterbean. Have you seen him?

Arthur: Of course, if you don’t let him hit you, he doesn’t know how to win.

ESB: How are things with your brother? Anything new about his next fight?

Arthur: Yeah, he will fight on the 23rd of September here in Germany and is training now to be in good form. Nothing is known about his next fight but it will be somebody good we hope.

ESB: He will be at the fight right? Will he be in your corner?

Arthur: Of course, I can’t fight without him. It is very important for him to be there because he often notices little details about the opponent. He won’t be in the corner though as that is the trainer’s job, but when I am on the stool, I can only hear his voice or the voice of my trainer.

ESB: Which boxers do you communicate with most often in your free time?

Arthur: Mostly with our guys, Markus Beyer, Marco Huk, Pablo Hernandez. That is our group and we are like friends. We celebrate almost all our events together.

ESB: How about Artur Grigorian? He is a trainer now I think.

Arthur: Yeah, we meet up a few times a year and keep in touch.

ESB: How about the Armenian, Vahtang “Vic” Darchinyan?

Arthur: Of course, and he is a great guy. We competed together for the Armenian national team in Erevan and played cards often (laughing). He is a great boxer and a great person.

ESB: Did you watch the Rahman vs. Maskaev fight? Do those sorts of bouts motivate you to fight harder sometimes?

Arthur: I didn’t watch it but heard that Maskaev won by KO. I usually watch other fighters, like Barrera and Morales, and each one has their own style. For instance, I could never fight like Roy Jones Jr., or Mike Tyson, but I can take little things from any good fighter.

As far as seeing them being real men and showing their character in hard situations, yeah, this is a good stimulator for me.

ESB: Any predictions for the fight with Miranda?

Arthur: Predictions? Well, my prediction is I will win but by points or KO, that I don’t know (laughing).

ESB: What do you want to say in closing to your fans and viewers?

Arthur: I want to tell the viewers that they will hear a lot more about me and will see many more great things as well. I don’t box for myself I box for my fans and supporters.

ESB: Arthur, thanks for your time. I wish you all the best and that you will be able to come out victorious.

Arthur: Thanks! Until next time.

ESB: Sure and hopefully I can offer up my congrats by then. Good Bye.


I want to thank Heiko Mallwitz for setting up the interview and once again I hope Arthur will get better soon and this fight will be rescheduled sometime in the near future.

Can't wait for this fight.

Hope Abraham pulls it out...but it'll be a ruff night, IWO.

Nice read,CC although I favour Abraham heavily because if Miranda does not KO him,he won't win a decision!

I am torn between this fight. I like AA but also have a soft spot for EM.

I guess I will leave this one up to the Gods and may the best man win.

Ok I will go out on a limb here and say AA gets a UD.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Danny_G

I am torn between this fight. I like AA but also have a soft spot for EM.

I guess I will leave this one up to the Gods and may the best man win.

Ok I will go out on a limb here and say AA gets a UD.

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I really don't see Miranda letting this one go the distance. He is always in great condition and if this thing gets to the 11-12 round he will go all out. Something will have to give.
I hope it doesn't get to this point and I am pulling for Miranda to win by KO by round 8.

I feel Miranda has made so many bold statements about 'knocking him out' that he will perhaps tire himself out thrying to go for broke and could possibly be picked off in the late rounds.

He was certainly made to look vulnerable against Howard Eastman in parts, who had him in trouble a couple of times.

Tough call, but i will go for AA by decision.

I think Mirandas physically bigger then Abraham and his pressure fighting style will cause Abraham problems, unless Abraham can snap Miranda back with his jab and keep him off that way. So if Miranda goes forward and Abraham does nothing about it then late stoppage for Miranda. If Abraham can shut down Mirandas forward-pressure style then UD for Abrham.