With Jarrell Miller failing three VADA drug tests and being removed from a scheduled June 1 fight at Madison Square Garden against WBA/IBF/WBO heavyweight titleholder Anthony Joshua, the hunt is on for a replacement opponent.
AJ has been pretty quiet about the situation until now, but he says the fight is going ahead on the scheduled date, but also spoke about Miller, saying “Big Baby” doesn’t deserve to be in the ring with anyone right now:
“Cheats will get found out and hustlers and hard workers will always rise to the top. Good luck to Jarrell Miller with whatever he does in his life, but he does not deserve to be in a ring with me or any other heavyweight right now.”
Miller posted an apology of sorts to social media after news of the second and third positive tests came in, having previously denied wrongdoing after he’d only failed the one.
Joshua (22-0, 21 KO) says he’s expecting news within the next few days on his new opponent:
“Whoever the fighter may be, I am going to keep my chin down, hands up and I am ready to slug it out with whoever. Eddie (Hearn) is doing the negotiations and hopefully, within the next 48 hours, 72 hours, we will have an update for June 1st.”
There has been plenty of speculation about the man Joshua will face. Adam Kownacki, who seemed a good fit, took himself out of the running early, and there’s belief that he’s been promised a WBC title fight with PBC stablemate Deontay Wilder.
There’s been mention of WBA secondary titleholder Mahmoud Charr (aka Manuel Charr, but he said recently he is going back to Mahmoud), and some suspect that recent Matchroom signing Michael Hunter could get the call, as he’s already been in training for a fight in Chicago on May 25. Eddie Hearn said that Luis Ortiz, another PBC fighter, would be their first choice, but that he didn’t think it would happen.
Joshua-TBA will stream live on DAZN on June 1.