By Dave Devereux 

Newly crowned IBF Featherweight Champion Eric “Mighty Mouse” Aiken is confident, particularly when it pertains to his punching arsenal. And he’s willing to trade with the best in his class.

“There are not too many guys out there who are going to hurt me,” Aiken said. “I can take it and I can damn well give it.”

Despite his confidence, Aiken, though, insists there is wonder-working power of a different source involved in his remarkable seven-week rise to a world title. “It’s been overwhelming,” Aiken said. “First and foremost, my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, guides me through all my battles, all my fights.”

Aiken’s power was on display April 1 when he stopped former-IBF Bantamweight Champion Tim Austin in the sixth round of their bout in Cleveland. He sent Austin to the canvas with a left hook moments earlier.

Aiken was a late-substitute when he fought former-IBF Featherweight Champion Valdemir Pereira on May 13 but knocked Pereira down twice and grabbed the world title when Pereira was disqualified in the eighth round for a series of shots below the belt. He took the fight with Pereira on May 2 after Pereira’s scheduled opponent, Esham Pickering, was injured in training nine days before the fight. “Given more time to prepare, that guy doesn’t last three rounds with me,” Aiken said. “They say you’re supposed to take the fight to the champion. I did that. Unfortunately he had to resort to dirty tactics so I’m walking around with his belt.”

Referee Charlie Dwyer, who deducted points from Pereira in the sixth and seventh rounds, stopped the fight at 1:37 of the eighth. The crowd at the TD Banknorth Garden in Boston reacted unfavorably to the conclusion of an action-filled fight.

“Point-wise, I knew I was winning. I knew I could hurt him,” Aiken said.

The 26-year-old Aiken is originally from Washington D.C. but approximately a year ago, relocated to Marysville, Ohio and began working with Manager Mike Powers and trainers Adrian Davis and Jerry Page. At the time, his career-path in boxing was just one of a series of priorities he needed to address.

“Probably the biggest thing that helped Mouse out is he re-dedicated himself to the Lord and doing the things he needed to do to be a better person,” Powers said. “He put his life in order, which is God first, your family second and then your career. That’s where Mouse is at now.”

Aiken, who holds a modest 16-4 record with 12 knockouts, suffered all four losses by decision.

His latest one came in a six-rounder against Johnnie Edwards just two weeks before beating Austin.

Aiken immediately returned to the gym in preparation for a scheduled fight in June when he was notified about fighting Pereira.

“He went through some bad times and was depressed,” Powers said. “But in seven weeks the Lord has brought him a world championship. That just doesn’t happen in boxing. That’s unheard of.”