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Daniel "The Haitian Sensation" Edouard ready for another go in Port-au-Prince, Haiti on September 2.

By Matt Wells: Second World War General Douglas MacArthur said that "Old soldiers don't die, they just fade away." In the case of boxing's contenders and prospects, they often fade away fast. But the truly determined do make it back, and Daniel Edouard is ready to begin his own comeback.

For those that don't remember, Edouard is well-known for two fights in particular. In August of 2004, he and Willie Gibbs did their impression of Marvin Hagler and Thomas Hearns' epic battle in a four-round slugfest. Edouard came out as the winner of that one, but then six months later he went up against Jermain Taylor, and lost by TKO in the third round. Taylor went on to win the middleweight world championship; Edouard disappeared.

On September 2nd, over two years since the Gibbs fight took place, Edouard will be taking on Elio Ortiz in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. Edouard already fought once this year, in May against David Toribio, but this will be his first bout at the junior middleweight level, where he plans on plying his trade for the foreseeable future. He will also be taking on an opponent that, while his record may not be scintillating, possesses both a strong chin and heavy hands, and has years of solid ring experience behind him.

Edouard is the sort of fighter that has the skills to succeed. He is an exciting brawler, tailor-made for television. Moreover, he is a class act. He is also able to accept the setbacks he has suffered and to learn from them, and he is honest with himself about the work he needs to do. He is entering this next phase of his career with just the right attitude.

"Training is going pretty good," Edouard explains. "It's getting a little rough here and there. My weight is doing good. It's a new experience for me, going down to 154. I have to understand my diet more, I have to understand my body a little more. That's been the hard part, just trying to make the necessary sacrifices. The fight was moved back a couple of times, so that kind of messed things up for me as well."

Dropping down into a lower weight class is a move that recently helped both Shane Mosley and Oscar De La Hoya get their careers back on track. There is hard work involved, but there is a considerable upside if you can manage to bring the same strength and power you had before to a division where the opposition is that much smaller and lighter.

When asked if he feels he is making the right choice at this moment of his career, Edouard is unequivocal, though he jokingly laments the new eating regime he must subscribe to. "I'm definitely happy with decision," he says. "At times, when I want to eat, no. But yes, I feel that this will be a better weight class for me in terms of my style and in terms of my speed. I'm comfortable being there, and I'm comfortable making the sacrifices to go there."

"A lot of people don't recognize my speed, but I'm fast, and I think that by going down to 154, my hand speed is getting quicker," he continues. "It's kind of going to be a testing ground for me as well, because I've never fought at 154 at all. So this is going to be kind of an experience for me as well."

This fight will not take place on American soil, nor will it be shown on American television. Edouard is still a long way from the bright lights of Los Angeles and the Staples Center, where he lost to Taylor. What this fight represents is the first significant test for Edouard since that day. It is a hurdle to jump, in order to reach the next hurdle.

Moreover, Edouard is taking nothing away from Ortiz. "I'm excited to get in the ring with someone of his calibre," he says. "He's fought big names and great fighters and it's an honour for me to step in the ring with him and be able to go against such a veteran, because I can see where I'm at. I can see what I can bring to the table."

"I feel that as long as I do what I normally do in a fight, as long as I bring my speed, and my quick punches, that should do the job," he continues. "I just want to get in there and do what I have to do. I think everything should come together."

It wasn't that long ago that Edouard was regarded as one of the most promising prospects at the middleweight/super middleweight level. Fighting fifteen times in his first two years as a pro, he dispatched his opponents with power and pressure. The most notable of these contests was a six-round majority decision win over Romero Johnson, as Johnson was also an undefeated prospect at the time. The fight was well-reviewed by those who saw it, and put the boxing world on notice that Edouard was one to watch.

In 2004, Edouard's winning streak came to and end as he fought to two straight draws with Dorian Beaupierre. Beaupierre, a mobile fighter than uses an accurate jab to good effect, was able to neutralize Edouard's more aggressive style. Beaupierre was the busier fighter in the first match-up, and many observers felt he won the fight. Edouard threw more shots in the second, but the judges delivered the same verdict as before. Both men cut their losses and moved on.

It was right after this that Edouard was involved in the storied brawl with Gibbs. Both men came into the ring with similar reputations as offensive-minded fighters, so expectations were running high. And the two men did not disappoint, delivering a toe-to-toe brawl that barely let up over four rounds. In the early going, the momentum swung wildly, as Edouard and Gibbs both managed to knock each other into the ropes. By the second stanza, however, Gibbs was visibly weakening as a result of Edouard's furious shots to his head. After Edouard scored a knockdown late, he appeared to have things under control.

But the fight was not over quite yet. Though Edouard dominated much of the third round, a desperate Gibbs caught him late with two uppercuts. Edouard clinched, apparently hurt, and Gibbs seem to spring back to life, coming at his opponent with a furious series of rights to close out the action. This was Gibbs' last gasp, however; Edouard was relentless in the fourth, and dropped Gibbs once more with about half a minute to go. Gibbs got to his feet, but he was staggering and obviously in no shape to fight, and referee Charles Dwyer put an end to the wild affair.

"That's a fight that I constantly think about," Edouard says. "Everyone says a fighter needs to have one of those self-defining moments, and I think that was one of those fights where it was a defining moment for me and Willie Gibbs. Recently I was watching the Ali-Frazier Thrilla in Manilla fight, and I can't compare my fight to that of course, but it was one of those fights where, we both went to the hospital, we both were out, and we both gave it everything we had, and that's why it's still talked about today."

Edouard was a rising star, which made his pairing with Jermain Taylor an interesting prospect. In retrospect, however, Taylor was the better man, as he had little trouble dispatching Edouard in three rounds. Rather than using his jab, as many expected him to do, Taylor fought fire with fire and peppered Edouard with power shots right from the get-go. Edouard fought bravely, but by the third round he was overwhelmed, and referee Ray Corona waved off the action with about thirty seconds to go.

It is at that point that Edouard realized that he still had some learning to do. "That fight opened my eyes to a lot of things," he says. "It opened my eyes to understanding the level where you have to be. You have your championship fighters, and you have the other fighters, and there's a big level that you have to cross to become that championship-type fighter. It's not just a matter of being a hard worker. That's one part of it, but there's a finesse and a science, a sweet science to it, that every great champion understands. And that's what I've been learning, and that's what I'm still learning. And I hope I can put it all together as I climb up to become a world champion."

Since that fight he has been frustrated by managerial issues and other delays. But the introspective Edouard has taken advantage of this time away from the ring. "The past year and a half has been up and down," he says. "I've been training and getting ready to fight fights, but they've been falling through on me. Finally I was able to get the fight together last May. But I've been training and staying active, and I've been learning."

"I've been getting an understanding of the boxing game," he continues. "And I'm kind of glad that I had the little layoff because it made me understand the art of boxing, which I really never cared to know before. I always just got in there and I thought, as long as I train hard and I work hard, I'm going to win. But when you get to that next level, fighting those championships, and those championship rounds, and fighting the higher-calibre fighters, like the Jermain Taylors, you need to have an understanding of the art of boxing."

"In the past year and a half I've really taken the time to understand that art: understanding my technique, understanding my style, understanding when I'm punching the bag, what I'm really working on. I'm not punching the bag just to get a workout; I'm working on my craftsmanship. Even when I'm shadow boxing, understanding what I'm doing. My footwork, my hands; all those little specifics, I've been focusing on for the past year and a half. So I can become a better and more efficient fighter."

These are interesting times in the light middleweight division. A resurgent Mosley, having just dispatched Fernando Vargas two times in succession, is arguably the comeback fighter of the year. Kassim Ouma, however, is also re-emerging as a force to reckon with. Cory Spinks, a recent arrival, beat former world champion Roman Karmazin. De La Hoya is looking good as well after his sharp performance over Ricardo Mayorga. All of these fighters have bounced back from recent setbacks. Is there a place for Edouard in this bunch? Time will tell.

"I'd love to fight anybody [at light middleweight], because there are so many great names there," Edouard says. "You've got Kassim Ouma, Sechew Powell, and De La Hoya's there of course. Fernando Vargas, Shane Mosley; you have many great names. For me to get any one of these guys would be a great accomplishment for me."

For now, Edouard will have Ortiz to contend with. He is looking forward to the fight, and he is also looking forward to returning to Haiti, where his parents lived before moving to the United States. Edouard has always maintained close ties to the country; in 2004, he helped organize a relief effort after the destruction caused by Hurricane Jeanne. "I'm going back home," he says. "It feels good. I haven't been there in years. I've been tied down with things here, so now I'm excited that I can go back home and train and fight there."

Few boxing fans outside Port-au-Prince will get a chance to see Edouard in action. However, with a strong showing, he will probably wind up back in the spotlight soon. With hard work and determination, there's a good chance he will avoid the fate that so many fallen prospects have suffered before.