By Nate Anderson: In the latest boxing news, super middleweight contender Edison Miranda (30-2, 26 KOs) will be reportedly fighting Denmark’s Mikkel Kessler (39-1, 29 KOs), the former WBA/WBC super middleweight champion, on May 24th in Montreal, Canada. Miranda, 27, a one-time middleweight contender until late last year when he was stopped by Kelly Pavlik in a 7th round TKO, has been after Kessler for awhile now, trying to pressure him into a fight with him. Kessler up until today, had been ignoring Miranda’s rants to the media, instead looking for other alternatives for his first bout back since his defeat to super middleweight champion Joe Calzaghe in November 2007.
However, after one particular nasty goading from Miranda this week, in which Miranda called Kessler a kitten, it appeared that Kessler had had enough and decided quickly on taking the fight with Miranda. It probably was a no-brainer for Kessler, for Miranda is one of the most popular non-champions in the division, perhaps even more popular than IBF super middleweight champion Lucian Bute. The cable networks are also interested in seeing the fight made, meaning that this will be a much better paying bout than what Kessler, now a non-champion, would get otherwise.
At this time, neither fighter has signed for the bout, but it’s rumored that both will likely be signing in the near future.
Miranda, ranked #5 in the WBC & #6 in the WBA super middleweight rankings, has had only two fights as a super middleweight, knocking out Henry Porras and David Banks. Despite having fought only twice, Miranda already is considered one of the top fighters in the division, which is talent-poor at this moment in time. Miranda had been set to fight undefeated Canadian Jean Pascal, but that has been set on the back burner with this latest agreement for a fight with Kessler. Obviously, a bout with Kessler, 29, is a much more important bout for Miranda than one against Pascal, for if Miranda can somehow beat Kessler, it could lead to other big money bouts in the future against other fighters, perhaps even Joe Calzaghe.
Beyond Kessler and Calzaghe, there are no other big named fighters in the super middleweight division, meaning that Miranda would possibly need to fight one of the middleweight champions like Pavlik, if other options aren’t available. Of course, this all hinges on him beating Kessler, which at this point is a long shot at best. Kessler, whom had defended his WBA/WBC super middleweight title four times up until losing it to Calzaghe last year, is considered to be the best fighter in the division.
Though some fans feel that Bute may be able to give him some problems, most boxing fans and writers are in agreement that Kessler is the best at this time. Miranda would seem to have little hope of winning a boxing match with Kessler due to Mikkel’s superior boxing skills, which means that Miranda has only one real hope of winning – by knocking him out. That is always a possibility with Miranda, given his tremendous punching power and excellent chin.