Edison Miranda knocked out Francisco Sierra at 2:16 of the first round of a scheduled 12-round super middleweight matchup between two big punchers Thursday in Lemoore, Calif.

Miranda, now under the tutelage of trainer Joe Goossen, landed an overhand right on the temple of his Mexican opponent and hurt him badly. The fight was stopped immediately.

Miranda (33-4, 29 knockouts) was coming off a unanimous-decision loss to Andre Ward in May. The Colombian, once a prime title contender, was only 6-4 in his previous 10 fights before beating Sierra (20-3, 19 KOs).

He believes this victory will lead to greater things.

“”This victory puts me right back into title contention,” Miranda said. “Joe Goossen is the best trainer in the world. Everyday I'm in the gym I'm learning something new. With Goossen in my corner, nobody is going to beat me. ÔǪ I can't wait to see what my team has lined up for me next.”