Miami Herald Boxing article by Santos Perez on Glen Johnson.
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Crucial bout for two boxers

Posted on Mon, Oct. 27, 2008

BY SANTOS A. PEREZ

Glen Johnson’s disappointment dealt with disputed scorecards. Edison Miranda’s discontent proved more painful than judges’ verdicts.

Coming off losses in their previous fights, Johnson and Miranda look to erase recent frustration and resume their respective careers in South Florida’s next local boxing card.

Johnson and Miranda will fight in separate bouts of the Warriors Boxing show Nov. 11 at Hard Rock Live Arena.

Johnson (47-12-2, 34 KOs) will face Tiwon Taylor in a scheduled 10-round light-heavyweight match; Miranda will fight Manuel Esparza in a light-heavyweight match scheduled for eight rounds.

The bout will be Johnson’s first since losing a controversial unanimous decision against Chad Dawson on April 12. Although Johnson was the aggressor for most of the bout and nearly had Dawson knocked out in the 10th round, all three judges scored the bout for Dawson by a four-point margin.

Miranda’s ring return comes after a five-month layoff.

The outspoken Miranda loudly pursued a rematch against Artur Abraham for nearly two years. Miranda (30-3, 26 KOs) talked of punishing and defeating Abraham when they finally met in their second bout June 21 at Hard Rock Live.

But Abraham, who won a decision against Miranda in the first bout, overwhelmed the Colombia native with a fourth-round technical knockout victory.

The Nov. 11 Hard Rock Live card also will feature James McGirt Jr., son of the current trainer and former welterweight champion. McGirt Jr. will fight Marcus Upshaw in a scheduled 10-round super-middleweight bout.

TITLE SHOT SET

After seven years of preliminary bouts and eventual contending status, Miami resident Joel Julio will finally fight for a world title Saturday night in Germany.

Julio (34-1, 31 KOs) will face World Boxing Organization junior-middleweight champion Sergiy Dzinziruk.

”All my life I have waited for this opportunity,” said Julio, 23. “I am more than ready. Come Nov. 1, I am not only going to become a world champion but also a superstar in this sport.”

Julio will not have an easy task. A native of Ukraine, Dzinziruk is unbeaten in 35 fights and has made four successful defenses since his victory against former champion Daniel Santos in December 2005.

FIGHT HYPE BEGINS

Vic Darchinyan never has been faulted for concealing his thoughts, and the reigning 115-pound title-holder remained true to form in a recent conference call hyping his title unification bout against Mexico’s Cristian Mijares on Saturday night in Carson, Calif.

”I’m going to make him look like a very silly fighter and I’m going to knock him out,” Darchinyan said of Mijares. “He’s going to be punished.

“Make sure what I’m saying now you will put on the website and put everywhere what I’m saying and believing. I’m very focused on this fight. I’m going to destroy him badly.”

A native of Armenia and Australia resident, Darchinyan won the International Boxing Federation junior-bantamweight title with a fifth-round technical knockout against Dimitri Kirilov on Aug. 2. Darchinyan (30-1-1, 24 KOs) also had a 30-month run as IBF flyweight champion earlier in the decade.

Mijares (36-3, 15 KOs) won the World Boxing Council super-flyweight crown in January 2007 and captured the World Boxing Association belt with a victory against Alexander Muñoz in a title unification bout May 17.
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