On Saturday at Alexandra Palace, London, former Commonwealth and current British champion at Light-Heavyweight champ from Liverpool Tony Bellew (17-1) takes on long-time top contender and multiple title challenger Edison Miranda (35-7). The Miranda fight is one which many up and coming fighters take to prove their worth and is a respected name on the resume.
Bellew has already had a title shot last year; this came in one of the British fights of the year against the current WBO champ Nathan Cleverly. Prior to this he was the British and Commonwealth champ and clearly proved his worth at a domestic level.
Now he has took a step up and lost he wants to establish his position as a contender for a world title shot once more. Earlier this year he beat Danny McIntosh and won back his British title. Now he wants to beat an international name and gain some credibility. At 29 he is not young and wants to make moves soon.
Miranda is a name that has been on the radar for around 6-7 years. He beat names like Davies and Eastman on his way to his first title shot against Arthur Abraham at Middleweight. He failed this and quickly became a top contender who was the gatekeeper for all future rising stars to get past on their way to the pinnacle of the sport. It would be fair to say he is a B level fighter but he has only been beaten by the very best and many of which-Ward, Pavlik, Abraham and Bute were undefeated and the time and held titles at least once.
His last fight was a loss against fellow contender Isaac Chilemba. He too is in a position where he wants to get that one last title shot and a chance to gain that elusive world title. I will make this point, as much as this may be a shock Miranda is only 31 years old, which is surprising as he appears to have been around so long. Do not by any means suggest he is over the hill in any way, shape or form. He is equally as dangerous of an opponent for Bellew as he was for any other of his future or current world champions which he acted as a stepping stone for.
Also his KO percentage is something which puts fear in any future opponent’s mind, a staggering 30 of his 35 wins coming inside the distance. He has the looming chance at any stage of the fight to end it in one punch, for this reason he cannot be ruled out.
For these reasons, Bellew deserves full credit for a win under any circumstances; it would be unfair for people to take this away from him. Also, is he wins and looks impressive, he deserves admiration and to be a fighter watched.
