Abraham vs. Miranda: The Right to Fight Taylor
 By Julian Kasdin (Sep 21, 2006)
This weekend newly crowned ‘King’ Arthur Abraham, 21-0 (17), will take on fellow hard puncher Edison ‘Pantera’ Miranda, 26-0 (23), in a battle of the two hardest hitting middleweights in the world. Yes Jermain Taylor and Tito Trinidad, if he ever comes back, both pack world class power into their fists, but neither man possesses the power of the two combatants this weekend. This fight seems to have Hagler vs. Hearns written all over it, and it is unfortunate that we will not be able to see it here in the United States. I am very interested in this fight as I have followed both fighters for quite some time and I am pleased to see two young fighters get it on, something that is unfortunately quite rare these days due to many promoters fear of having a fighter lose the zero at the end of their record. Thanks in part to the IBF and the competitive spirit of Abraham and Miranda we will have this excellent match up, and whoever wins should be the next opponent for Jermain Taylor.
Edison Miranda is well known to American fans. The hard punching Colombian has garnered himself much popularity
due to his power and aggressive style. With a TKO win over Howard Eastman earlier in the year Miranda thrust himself into the collective psyche of the American boxing public. His record is an impressive one and although his level of competition was initially very weak he has really stepped it up over the last year. He now faces what is easily his toughest challenge to date, a fellow undefeated puncher with the will to win. I think Miranda is the slightly faster fighter, and he has a slight height advantage. He is not as polished as Abraham, but seems to be more aggressive at times.
Arthur Abraham is not as well known in America, but he is quickly becoming a star in Europe due to his exciting mix of technical skill, explosive combinations and one punch power. Over the last three years Abraham has defeated such solid fighters as Nader Hamdan, Ian Gardner, Howard Eastman, Kinsley Ikeke, Shannan Taylor and Kofi Jantuah, thus building up one of the most impressive resumes of any young fighter. Abraham is a skilled technician with a solid defense and varied offensive arsenal. Against Miranda he will probably be the more skilled and physically stronger man, and I also tend to think he has a better chin.
This fight, in my opinion, has Hagler vs. Hearns written all over it. You have the taller and faster Miranda versus the shorter and stronger Abraham. Both men have great power, and just like Hearns I think that Miranda is not as steady on his legs as the squat Abraham is and Hagler was. While I tend to think that Abraham will be more defensive than Hagler ever was – Abraham’s defense is a lot like Winky Wright’s – when he does explode out of his shell it is as entertaining as when Hagler would go on the attack. Miranda, due to his height and build, might resemble the ‘Hitman’ and I tend to think he might actually pack a greater punch due to actually being a natural middleweight. With all of the above being said I think the deciding factors in this fight are Abraham’s better technical skill and higher level of competition. If you give me two fighters with comparable physical talent I will almost always side with the man who is more skilled and experienced, case in point Mayweather vs. Judah. I think that Abraham will weather the storm early on and eventually stop Miranda somewhere between rounds seven and nine.
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