In March, I wrote a column about heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua and his upcoming in-ring debut in the United States on June 1 against Jarrell “Big Baby” Miller in Madison Square Garden.
Well fight fans, the bout is no longer happening. Since I penned that column, Miller had failed multiple drug tests, prompting his removal from the fight. Joshua is still scheduled to fight on June 1 at MSG, and promoters are scrambling for a replacement opponent. Rumor has it, Anthony Ruiz Jr. will take up the challenge.
As for Miller, he will have to watch the fight outside of the ropes or from the comfort of his own home. According to a report from ESPN, the World Boxing Association recently passed a resolution suspending Miller for six months, ending Sept. 19, for his drug test failures. He will be withdrawn from the heavyweight rankings as well.
The story also notes that Miller will have to register with the Voluntary Anti-Doping Association (VADA) at his own expense, and undergo random drug tests. If Miller intends to compete after his suspension is finished, he will need to submit those results.
Miller tested positive for the substances GW1516, EPO and HGH in separate VADA drug tests.
What surprised me about this development was how Miller’s co-promoter, Greg Cohen, is handling the situation. Cohen said the punishment is fair, especially given how the six-month timeframe is in line with past offenders. He also believes Miller will comply with the resolution.
This isn’t the first time Miller has failed a drug test in his combat sports career. During his kickboxing run, he failed a drug test during in 2014 following a Glory World Series event. The California State Athletic Commission suspended him four nine months after a urine sample contained methylhexaneamine.
What’s interesting about Miller’s suspension is that in the build up for the June 1 fight, he threw verbal jab after verbal jab at Joshua, claiming the heavyweight champion was using steroids. Miller has since apologized to fans for his actions when word of his drug tests hit the news.
Thankfully, boxing fans are more forgiving when it comes to fighters failing drug tests than MMA folks. Superstars like Saul “Canelo” Alvarez and Billy Joe Saunders bounced back after bad drug tests.
Still, I wonder if Miller thought taking drugs and getting caught was worth the risk of losing on the $4.75 million pay day he would have received for fighting Joshua. Had he won, the fight purse would have been higher and he would have added some hardware to his trophy case.
In combat sports where you earn the most money by winning, I understand that you want to have every advantage over your opponent, but $4.75 is a lot of money to lose out on in order to get an edge in one fight.
Of course, many boxing pundits didn’t expect Miller to actually beat Joshua - in fact many fans and critics believe the British heavyweight would steamroll Big Baby on his path to a unification bout with Deontay Wilder.
Yet in boxing, every fighter has a puncher’s chance, and Miller could have picked up an upset over Joshua. I guess we’ll never know if that would have happened.
Hopefully Miller learns from his mistake and comes back to the ring stronger and wiser.
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