Anthony Joshua vs. Jarrell Miller - June 1, 2019

[jamamb]

miller would have to have an absolute granite chin to walk through ajs shots like he has to wash, duhaupas, wachs, etc

ppl mention takam but takam was doing a lot of survivalist fighting and not really pressing to win rounds

[candyslim]

@Rob: I'm not comparing Joshua's power to anyone. Clearly Joshua hits very much harder than anyone Miller has shared a ring with to date. The point is though (and I'm ignoring unconfirmed/ uncontested references to Miller having been knocked down several times in sparring by Tyson Fury) that so far nobody has been able to do much more than make Miller blink when they have hit him.

It's like anything else: If you haven't found your limit then you don't know what your limit is. Joshua's power is certainly greater than anything Miller has been exposed to. Whether it will be too much for him or whether he absorbs it and keeps coming like he's done against every fighter he has fought up until this point is the 32 thousand dollar question.

@Thomastearns: It is because Joshua has been operating at a far higher level, that I consider him winning by stoppage the most likely outcome, but nobody really knows the extent of Miller's attributes and that is what makes him dangerous and interesting in this fight.

[Rob3_142]

Well of course, there is a very large unknown element to Miller's game, but I'm not expecting him to surprise me.

Miller has shown decent resilience against average opposition, and has certainly demonstrated an output of a much smaller and fitter [looking] man, but that is of course when Miller is up against a limited opposition.

One of Joshua's finest assets is his ability to counter come forward fighters, which is exactly what Miller is. It's going to be a very long fight for Miller, who is going to have to absorb a lot of punishment. I don't know how much his work rate and output is going to look like after 5-6 rounds of being pummelled.

I don't personally know what Miller can do to win this fight, as walking Joshua down is going to end very badly.

[oogiebe]

Well of course, there is a very large unknown element to Miller's game, but I'm not expecting him to surprise me.

Miller has shown decent resilience against average opposition, and has certainly demonstrated an output of a much smaller and fitter [looking] man, but that is of course when Miller is up against a limited opposition.

One of Joshua's finest assets is his ability to counter come forward fighters, which is exactly what Miller is. It's going to be a very long fight for Miller, who is going to have to absorb a lot of punishment. I don't know how much his work rate and output is going to look like after 5-6 rounds of being pummelled.

I don't personally know what Miller can do to win this fight, as walking Joshua down is going to end very badly.

It'll be competitive for one or maybe two rounds. Then Miller will realize it's hopeless. I'm no AJ fan, but he's levels above Miller and his pathetic resume of stiffs.

[candyslim]

You could both be right but I'm keeping hold of my belief that this is a potentially very dangerous fight for Joshua.

That may or may not be a realistic assessment, but it sure is a hell of a lot more fun than expecting Joshua to blow away the nutty professor in a round or two.

[Ruthless-RKO]

[Ruthless-RKO]

Heavyweight contender Jarrell "Big Baby" Miller has tested positive for the banned substance GW1516 ahead of his scheduled challenge of unified world titleholder Anthony Joshua, three sources with knowledge of the results told ESPN on Tuesday.

The fight is scheduled to take place on June 1 (DAZN) at Madison Square Garden in New York and to serve as the American debut for England's Joshua, but it is now in jeopardy because of Miller's positive test.

The test results, which came to light on Tuesday, were from a random Voluntary Anti-Doping Association-conducted urine test Miller submitted to on March 20.

"We are in the process of obtaining further information about VADA's finding and will have more to say soon on this developing situation," Dmitriy Salita, Miller's co-promoter with Greg Cohen, told ESPN after he was informed of the positive test result. "In the meantime, Jarrell continues to train for his June 1 fight against Anthony Joshua."

Matchroom Boxing promoter Eddie Hearn, who represents Joshua, also acknowledged the positive test.

"We have been informed by VADA that there has been an adverse finding in Jarrell Miller's sample collected on March 20th, 2019," Hearn said in a statement. "We are working with all relevant parties and will update with more details soon. AJ's preparation continues for June 1st at MSG."

If Miller is dropped from the fight, it will cost him millions. He is due to earn a career-high purse of $4.875 million, not to mention additional money he stands to earn from a percentage of the profits from the fight on Sky Sports Box Office pay-per-view in the United Kingdom. Miller's deal with DAZN calls for two comeback fights worth $1.5 million apiece in the event that he loses to Joshua, which would disappear if there is no fight.

The biggest purse of Miller's career was a little over $500,000 for his fourth-round knockout of Bogdan Dinu on Nov. 17.

GW1516, also known as Cardarine and Endurobol, is on the World Anti-Doping Agency's banned list and is classified as a metabolic modulator. An athlete might use it to assist in fat loss or use it as an endurance booster. WADA has warned athletes of health risks connected to the drug, which in early trials caused cancer in laboratory mice.

Miller is likely to face a hearing on the matter before the New York State Athletic Commission, which probably will decline to license him for the fight if it handles this as it has similar recent situations. On Dec. 22, for example, Willie Monroe Jr. was due to challenge interim middleweight world titlist Jermall Charlo at Barclays Center in New York, but when Monroe tested positive for elevated levels of testosterone, the commission would not license him, and Charlo faced late replacement Matt Korobov instead.

[Winter king]

I mean Povetkin is a lot better than Miller and he only had a few nice moments in the Joshua fight.

[greg]

..keep wondering what will be Miller's fairy tale excuse..

[Ruthless-RKO]

..keep wondering what will be Miller's fairy tale excuse..

Dodgy cheese burgers

[greg]

Dodgy cheese burgers

either that or:

[Rob3_142]

Well this is a let down. The commission should withdraw his license if a B sample confirms the failure.

But this leaves Joshua in a terrible place. Not sure who he can get at short notice. It puts Miller in a worse place. Drug use is going to plague his reputation and it'll take some time to claim back some of his relevance in the division.

[Syntax Error]

Dodgy cheese burgers

Yes, made with Mexican meat that Canelo likes to feast on, I bet.

[Ruthless-RKO]

Well this is a let down. The commission should withdraw his license if a B sample confirms the failure.

But this leaves Joshua in a terrible place. Not sure who he can get at short notice. It puts Miller in a worse place. Drug use is going to plague his reputation and it'll take some time to claim back some of his relevance in the division.

Knowing Hearn, he has a back up

Charr has been approached.. DAZN will save money this way.

[oogiebe]

Knowing Hearn, he has a back up

Charr has been approached.. DAZN will save money this way.

Michael Hunter's name is being bandied about.

[Thomastearns]

Well this is a let down. The commission should withdraw his license if a B sample confirms the failure.

But this leaves Joshua in a terrible place. Not sure who he can get at short notice. It puts Miller in a worse place. Drug use is going to plague his reputation and it'll take some time to claim back some of his relevance in the division.

You're right, this is a let down as I was looking forward to seeing Miller get dismantled come June 1st.

However I have no sympathy for drug cheats. It's a disgrace to clean professionals that boxers like Tyson Fury, Hughie Fury, Billy Joe Saunders, Kid Galahad - and that's just a few British ones - can fail drug tests and yet the only consequence is a slap on the wrist. Before you know it, they're back in the ring making good money in next to no time.

Hopefully this will send a message out loud and clear that no one gets a free pass any longer - not Canelo Alvarez (despite his joke of a punishment) nor Jarrell Miller.

Random drug testing should be the norm and the days when boxers like Floyd Mayweather went entire careers avoiding it are now behind us.

Well done VADA - now let's see what the punishment is going to be.

How about being made to face Anthony Joshua for free on June 1st?

[jamamb]

miller had already failed a test

ortiz failed twice but doesnt really get mass labelled as a cheat

i dunno, so many guys using today its almost like the norm. half the top 10 has been caught

[SenorPipino]

"Plague their reputations."

Getting busted really never seems to harm anyone's career.

Boxers serve a suspension and then they're back in business.

Fans always wring their hands and curse out the drug users like they helped out the Manson Family on a murder spree.

But once the suspension is lifted, life goes on for the fighter, and those within the boxing industry just shrug.

Miller will return in 2020 if not sooner, and somewhere down the line he'll still snare a title shot.

Any besmirched reputation will have no effect on his future pocketbook.

[ValMar]

If this is really true, Miller is a fukcing idiot. Period.

[Ruthless-RKO]

Manuel Charr: I'm The Most Worthy Opponent For Anthony Joshua!

WBA "regular" champion Manuel Charr (31-4, 17 KOs) is one of the frontrunners to replace Miller on the date.

“Internal negotiations are taking place regarding the fight in June Mahmoud Charr against Anthony Joshua,” Charr stated.

“I am very happy about this task and the challenge. I’m ready to go to fight against Joshua and bring home the victory.

“As the No.1 WBA and reigning world champion, I’m the most worthy opponent for Anthony Joshua. I am the suitable and official challenger. For Joshua’s honour, it’s important to fight against the No.1 WBA rankings in the world.”

[Ruthless-RKO]

Manuel Charr: I'm The Most Worthy Opponent For Anthony Joshua!

WBA "regular" champion Manuel Charr (31-4, 17 KOs) is one of the frontrunners to replace Miller on the date.

“Internal negotiations are taking place regarding the fight in June Mahmoud Charr against Anthony Joshua,” Charr stated.

“I am very happy about this task and the challenge. I’m ready to go to fight against Joshua and bring home the victory.

“As the No.1 WBA and reigning world champion, I’m the most worthy opponent for Anthony Joshua. I am the suitable and official challenger. For Joshua’s honour, it’s important to fight against the No.1 WBA rankings in the world.”

I think he forgot he failed too.

[jamamb]

lol ya, so many hws have failed, they need to step up there masking game

[diddy]

What a moron. Just "pissed" away his career high payday. Go in there and take your beating and get paid, dummy.

[Ruthless-RKO]

What a moron. Just "pissed" away his career high payday. Go in there and take your beating and get paid, dummy.

Also.. Miller signed a deal with DAZN, meaning even if he lost to Joshua..

He would be guaranteed $1.5m for 2 fights.

His previous career-high purse was against Bogdan Dinu. He was paid $500k.

Miller's deal with DAZN would disappear if there is no fight.

So he's missing out potentially $4.875m + $1.5m = £6.375m for 3 fights.

[Ruthless-RKO]

Hearn: Luis Ortiz Was The First Name Anthony Joshua Gave Me

When Hearn informed Joshua about the situation with Miller, he says the unified champion names Luis Ortiz was the first name his boxer requested.

‘[Ortiz] was the first name he gave me last night. I called him and just said, ‘mate, I’ve got terrible news, Miller’s failed a drug test’. He didn’t even sound that surprised. He said, ‘Okay, who’s next?’ ‘I asked who he wanted and he said absolutely anyone, no problem," Hearn told IFL TV.

Because of the amount of tickets that were sold, and 10,000 British fans heading over to the card, there is no discussion regarding a new date being set.

"We haven’t talked about a new date. We’ve sold 17,000 tickets with 10,000 Brits flying out, so we’ll deliver," Hearn said.

According to Hearn, there are several possible replacements and they would love Ortiz to be the guy.

"Love that fight, that is an ideal scenario," Hearn said. "That is a big fight. My feeling from their team is he won’t be ready."