FNF Recap: Miranda, Pascal Win, Will Clash

Two weeks into the New Year, and we already have our first nomination for knockout of the year.

Sorry David Banks.

Edison Miranda tossed a right hand in the third round of a super middleweight feature on ESPN's Friday Night Fights at the Hard Rock in Hollywood, Florida, and Banks hit the canvas like he'd been Tasered.

The loser, who strutted like Brutus Beefcake on the last season of the Contender, went through the ropes after getting his chin checked, and was actually draped on the second-to-lowest ring rope, on his back, before he managed to climb back into the ring and attempt to beat the count.

The 24-year-old Oregonian Banks couldn't make it up by 10, and we thus can look forward to June showdown between the 27-year-old Miranda, and Canadian Jean Pascal, who tangled with Omar Pittman in the chief support bout and emerged with a UD win.

It was the Colombian-born Miranda (30-2, 26 KOs), who we recall got the worst of it in a middleweight showdown with Kelly Pavlik in May, and then decided he'd do better in a higher weight class, who came away from the show with the more pronounced uptick.

The sight of Banks (15-4-1), dramatically splayed out, his back weighing down the bottom two ring ropes, has to leave a hardcore picture in the eyes of watchers, and Pascal.

Miranda and Pascal jawed after the fight, and have done a solid job at building drama for their showdown with their war of the words.

Pascal, the 25 year-old, scored a knockdown of the slightly green Pittman, of Philadelphia in the second round. It looked like he might be able to close the show, and stop Pittman for the second time, but the Philly fighter hung in tough. And, he actually landed a bunch of solid left hooks that stung the Canuck.

Pascal held a 172-123 connection edge at the end of the night.

The judges saw it 98-91, 98-91, 97-92, Pascal, after 10.

Pascal rises to 21-0 (with 14 K0s) while the loser slides to 15-4-1.

In a Miranda/Pascal match, look for Miranda to take advantage of some holes in Pascal's game. We know Miranda is not in the technical elite, but Pascal leaves himself open too often, drops his hands too much, and he should be working on his 'D' from now until the summer.