Pantera Trying to Scratch Way to Championship

Edison Miranda (left) is hoping that he will finally win a world championship when he fights for the WBO title next month in Germany.

Super middleweight banger Edison "Pantera" Miranda, who has a record of 33-4, 29 KOs, and whose only losses have come versus world champions Arthur Abraham, Kelly Pavlik and Andre Ward, gets a chance for redemption on Jan. 9 in Magdeburg, Germany.

In what will be his second world title shot, Miranda will meet Russian-born, WBO 168-pound belt-holder Robert Stieglitz.

“I think I am one of the biggest punchers in the division,” said Miranda from his training base at Joe Goossen’s gym in Van Nuys, Calif. “I want to fight any of these guys at anytime and I want to fight the best there is out there. I really want to win a world title and I will go wherever I have to go in order for that to happen.”

Miranda, 28, claims he has no reservations about fighting Stieglitz in Germany. He was born in Colombia, and he has fought in rings all over the world including Germany, England, Central and South America as well as the USA. The fight against Stieglitz could be his best chance at winning a world title as the WBO titlist has been knocked out on two prior occasions.

Miranda said he knows little of Stieglitz, but what he has seen he says he has been impressed with.

“He’s a good fighter, a good boxer,” said Miranda. “He doesn’t have power like I do, I think he has twenty-two knockouts forty fights, but he’s an all around good fighter.”

Since hooking up with Goossen as his new trainer, Miranda claims that he will not rely on his big bombs and will instead implement the boxing skills that he and Goossen have been working on over the past few months.

“I can punch, I know that, we all know that,” said Miranda. “But what Joe wants me to do and what I want to do, is show my boxing skills. I already know I’m one of the biggest punchers out there. Everyone knows that. But this time I don’t want to just be a puncher - I want to be a boxer.”

Miranda also has it in his mind that should he win the WBO title from Stieglitz that he would be the natural choice to fill in for Jermain Taylor if he drops out of Showtime‘s Super Six World Boxing Classic super middleweight tournament.

“Sure,” responds Miranda. “I beat Allan Green back in 2007, and they were talking about him as getting in the tournament. Well, nothing against Allan Green, but I beat him. So they should be talking about me instead. Like I said, I’ll fight anyone, anytime, anywhere and I want to fight the best.”


December 2009