 |
|
|
Bernard Hopkins couldn’t do it. William Joppy couldn’t do it. Even heavy handed Arthur Abraham couldn’t do it. But Edison Miranda did it. He KO’d Howard Eastman.
Friday Night Fights saw the birth of my new favorite fighter, Edison Miranda, start slow and finished big against tough veteran contender Howard Eastman.
The action started slowly as Miranda moved forward, conservative with his punches as Eastman circled like De la Hoya vs. Trinidad without the blazing combos. Hell, without punches at all. It was clear that Eastman wanted to use his experience and take his time, slipping in a nice shoulder to Miranda’s chin as they came in to clinch The less experienced Miranda’s poise impressed as he stayed the patient course despite the crowd’s impatient boos at the lack of action.
The first came and went as both fighters started to acquaint each other with their respective fists at the bell. Round two saw more of the same with the addition of few more punches. But in round three Miranda’s explosive power made an appearance when he stunned Eastman with a crisp, hard left hook. Eastman was on wobbly legs as Miranda moved in for the kill to no effect. Eastman smartly held and moved as he fought back and gathered his senses until the bell mercifully rung. The action continued to heat up in the fourth as Miranda looked to test Eastman’s recovery powers and Eastman looked to move and continue to clear his head. Round five saw the return of Miranda’s power as he stunned Eastman with a straight right towards the final minute. Eastman bravely hung but it seemed to me that the Colombian knockout artist was going to be too much for the aging contender. How wrong I was.
I wish you could bookend two rounds and vote them Rounds of the Year because the turnaround in the next two stanzas was something to behold. Midway through the fifth the fighters spun around each other with Miranda dipping low. Eastman jumped on the badly positioned Miranda and landed his first best punch of the fight, a beautiful right hand that Miranda caught all of. On wobbly legs, Miranda staggered to the ropes and Eastman jumped at his chance. Both fighters let their hands go with the type of desperation that every title eliminator should have. Miranda looked to have survived the round safely when Eastman landed his second big punch of the night and sent Miranda confused and stumbling to his corner.
The tables had definitely turned as they came out for the seventh. Miranda came out on good legs as they stood in the center of the ring and exchanged jabs. Miranda landed a good right at one minute of the seventh. ‘Pantera’ Miranda looked to accelerate his offense as he began to unload his powerful fists on a wilting Eastman. Miranda’s power seemed to have more and more of an effect as he landed two more good rights. The coup de grace came with a series of rights and a brutal uppercut that had Eastman out on his feet. Referee Brian Garry stepped in at 2:33 of the 7th round. On replay, the stoppage was a very good one as Eastman was defenseless and hadn’t thrown a punch in return. One angle showed his cornerman stepping onto the ring apron as Referee Garry was stopping the action.
Miranda impressed tonight, although like fellow rising prospect (and my other new favorite fighter) Joel Julio, Miranda is a Colombian diamond in the rough. He punches behind the head a bit too much for my taste. He doesn’t stay behind the jab enough and he needs to cut the ring off better. Poise, patience and killer instinct are three things that cannot be taught and Miranda them in spades. At 25 years of age, there is time for skill polishing. With this victory Miranda moves to 26-0 (23) and a shot at new IBF titlist Arthur Abraham who is slated to make the second defense of his title against Ghana’s Kofi Jantuah on May 13th.
A win over the victor of Abraham-Jantuah would certainly speak volumes and move ‘Pantera’ further along his path to glory.
|
|
|
|
© Copyright / All Rights reserved: Doghouse Boxing 1998-2006
|
By Gabriel Montoya (March 26, 2006)
