Boxing
Jarrell 'Big Baby' Miller bullies Lenier Pero, then calls out heavyweight superstar
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Lenier Pero’s hand speed and overall sweet science skills looked like they were going to raise issues for Jarrell ‘Big Baby’ Miller over the first two rounds of their fight Saturday night.
Then, during the third round, Miller started making good on his analogy comparing himself to a dumpster truck and Pero to a sports car. That’s when ‘Big Baby’ began imposing his will — and weight — dragging the undefeated Cuban into the trenches and relentlessly unloading on him there.
The early adjustment paved the way for an urgent Miller to win by unanimous decision at Fountainbleau Las Vegas, and live and exclusively on DAZN, in an eliminator for the WBA heavyweight title. Judges scored it 117-111, 117-111 and 115-113, crediting Miller for 1,003 total punches thrown for an average of nearly 84 shots per round in bullying Pero to his first loss. DAZN News had it 116-112 for Miller.
After the scorecards were read all in his favor, Miller rattled off Oleksandr Usyk and Tyson Fury as next dance partners he’s interested in, but eventually honed in on Deontay Wilder, imploring the former WBC heavyweight champion to fight him.
Miller’s Matchroom Boxing promoter Eddie Hearn agreed, telling DAZN’s Chris Mannix: “For me, the American fight is Deontay Wilder against Jarrell Miller. Run it in New York.” The timing makes sense, considering Wilder, too, is coming off a hard-fought victory in defeating Derek Chisora just earlier this month.
Although Miller tipped the scale at 305 pounds during Friday’s weigh-in, looking more svelte than boxing fans have seen him in a while, he was still nearly 55 pounds heavier than Pero. And the Brooklyn, New Yorker started using that mass during the third round on, in leaning on Pero and making the Cuban feel his weight.
The forced phone-booth action allowed Miller to touch Pero with a steady flow of punches, ranging from tapping jabs to hard hooks and uppercuts.
Pero, despite his decorated amateur pedigree, failed to adjust and couldn't keep a pressuring Miller off him. Miller spent chunks of the fight trapping Pero against the ropes or in the corner, where he teed off on the Cuban, driving his punch output to over 1,000 in a slugfest he clearly got the best of.
The victory repositions Miller, 37, as a heavyweight who is still a noted player in the division.
