The Life & Times of EDISON MIRANDA

After reading the enclosed, my opinion of whether Edison can be a champ? definitely


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Early life

Although he has only been boxing eight years, Edison "Pantera" Miranda has been a fighter his entire life. He was abandoned by his family at one month old and spent the rest of his childhood working hard in the plantain and yucca fields of Tumaco on the southern coast of Colombia. By the age of nine, he was living completely on his own, with no parents, sweeping up for a street vendor in the neighboring town of Buenaventura and by the time Edison was 12, he was already working a grown-man's job in construction. Just two years later, he worked as a cattle butcher in Barranquilla, where he would soon start pursuing his dream of becoming a champion boxer.


Starting out

With only five months of training and barely 16 years old, Edison fought his first amateur boxing match on April 17, 1997. The strength and hard work that had seen him through the past 15 years became his greatest weapons in the ring – helping him to a first-round knockout against his first ever opponent. After only four more amateur fights, Edison found himself in the ring with the best fighters in the country, only to succeed with first-round knockouts again and again. He quickly rose to be the National Champion from 1998 to 1999 and was the Champion of the National Games in 2000.


Going professional

152 fights later, Edison became a professional boxer, but his journey was only halfway over. March 2002 saw the promising young boxer'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, Edison 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, Edison left the Dominican Republic and returned to Baranquilla, Colombia 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 Warriors and then had his first American fight in Hollywood, Florida on May 20, 2005. "I am God's warrior," Edison says, "I've always put my trust in Him, and he's always protected me. God is the reason I'm here today… and he's the reason I fight. Because I know it's His plan that I be a champion."

He currently lives in San Juan, Puerto Rico.

Miranda is to get his first major world title shot, when he faces Arthur Abraham for his IBF Middleweight title on September 23, 2006 in Wetzlar, Germany. In a brutal fight, Miranda lost by unanimous decision. Miranda entered the fight with confidence, since the fight had been once postponed due to Abrahams illness. However the champion dominated early, hurting Miranda from rounds 1 to 4. Midway through the fight, Abraham's jaw was broken by a legal punch. He continued to fight despite not being able to close his jaw for the rest of the fight and continuous bleeding. Miranda was also penalized 3 points for deliberate headbutting and repeated low blows.

The fight was not without controversy. In the 5th round, Randy Neumann stopped action due to a headbutt. During a 5 minute break, the doctor recommended to stop the fight due to the broken jaw caused by a legal punch. The ref was ready to give Miranda the TKO win when he was told to continue the fight by the German promoter Wilfred Sauerland. Even tough Abraham was reluctant to continue, he was able to survive the final 7 rounds. There were many questionable calls by Neumann against Miranda including a low blow call in round 11 that gave Abraham a much needed 5 minute rest. Abraham was rushed to the hospital with a crushed jaw and 20% blood loss. He remained in intensive care for one week and it is questioned whether he will ever be able to fight again. The IBF left Miranda No. 1 in its rankings because it felt the fight was handled poorly.


Key strengths

Edison's keys to success are discipline, faith and hard work. His training regimen includes only jogging, the stationary bike, jump rope, punching the bag and sparring. He doesn't lift weights, doesn't drink alcohol, and always goes to bed early. When asked about his greatest goal as a boxer he replies, "I want to be the kind of champion that helps others… to help children that were like me, homeless, with nowhere else to go. True champions are role models and that's what I strive to be."

I really like Miranda, his personal story is an awe inspiring one.

Not only was he abandoned by his mother but at the age of 9 he travelled across Columbia and tracked her down, only to be told he still wasn't wanted.

Can't even begin to imagine how heartbreaking that must have been for a child, but no doubt his deadbeat mum will be trying to track him down any time soon to come and live with him and enjoy his new found riches.

Hope he does the honourable thing and smashes her face in, selfish evil bitch.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by bilbo

Hope he does the honourable thing and smashes her face in, selfish evil bitch.

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LOL ;D

His story is definatly one of inspiration...Only Oumas story outdoes his....Miranda will be a future champion....Something about him reminds me of a guy named John Mugabi...Hard hitter with determination and KO power....He was ruined by Hagler...I do mean ruined...he was never the same after Marvin beat him and at the time Mugabi was undefeated every win coming by way of KO or TKO....I just hope Mirandas mental make up is better...Yes he lost to Abraham but not in the fasion Mugabi did to hagler...only time will tell I suppose...I am a fan and will be rooting for him either way