Boxing
Miller ready to channel attention into title shot and Joshua return
Miller vs. Pero: Subscribe to watch - Saturday
When a jab sent Jarrell ‘Big Baby’ Miller’s hairpiece rising off his head, the heavyweight could have handled it in two ways — shrivel up in embarrassment or just ride the wave of the instantly viral moment.
Miller chose the latter, throwing the hairpiece to the eruption of the Madison Square Garden crowd and the many more watching on DAZN PPV, as the January fight was part of the Teofimo Lopez-Shakur Stevenson headlining card.
“I gained a lot of fans, a lot of media,” Miller recently told DAZN News about the hair-raising experience. “People who don’t watch boxing are going to want to tune in to see what ‘Big Baby’ does next. So, the main thing is we just take something, we have fun with it and be entertaining.”
Miller, and his newfound attention and fandom, will have another chance to entertain Saturday night when he collides with undefeated Cuban heavyweight Lenier Pero at Fountainbleau Las Vegas, and live on DAZN. The bout is an eliminator for the WBA title held by unified heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk.
DAZN FACE OFF: Wardley vs. Dubois
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Miller is viewing the fight also as a possible opportunity to get Anthony Joshua in the ring. The heavyweights had contemptuous verbal exchanges that led to a June 1, 2019 fight being made and set for MSG to be the host. However, during the buildup, Miller tested positive for three different PEDs and the bout was scrapped. Andy Ruiz Jr. stepped in and shocked Joshua and the boxing universe by delivering a seventh-round TKO to become the new unified heavyweight champion of the world in a massive upset.
Eddie Hearn recently shared the possibility of Joshua having a fight this summer before clashing with Tyson Fury in November. Miller believes that summer opponent should be him and can go some ways to making that happen with a win over Pero.
“It would mean a lot because of unfinished business,” Miller said. “There’s still a lot of money on the table. AJ’s profile has gotten a little bigger since the fight with Jake Paul, so it’d be great for him and me to get in the ring and make it happen.”
He makes some good points there. There’s no doubting the entertainment value would be high. Depending on how Miller looks this weekend, it would be up to Joshua and Hearn to ascertain whether facing ‘Big Baby’ is a greater risk than reward and if it puts AJ-Fury in jeopardy at all. However, it would mark a full circle that Miller would like to complete.
At 37, Miller is enjoying the national appearances that have come from his hair-raising viral fame in January. He has even extended the attention via a partnership with Locks of Love in support of children experiencing medical hair loss.
Big Baby’s soft spot for children has been a common thread over his career, as years ago he struck up a friendship with a teenage cancer patient named Lily Weaver, who attended his fights, before passing away in December 2019.
“It’s bigger than boxing,” Miller said, “but it’s another step in my journey that motivates me to become better.”
But in order to maximize his impact outside the ring, Miller (27-1-2, 22 KOs) believes he must do his best inside of it. He has shed weight entering this fight with Pero (13-0, 8 KOs) and vows to be ready for whatever.
Miller is in a unique spot, as much of the attention from his viral moment in January is likely to carry over into this weekend. A win and Miller can lobby for the summer shot at Joshua. A loss, and it might mark a deafening blow.
The Brooklyn, New York native wants to be a fan-favorite still hunting down a title shot; not relegated to a near-man gatekeeper at heavyweight.
“Yes, we want the best performances and all that, but we definitely want to get that world title because so much other things come with it,” Miller said. “In order to become great, you gotta become greater in our own world and I gotta become greater in boxing.”
For ‘Big Baby,’ this might mark his final bid. Chances are, it’ll be entertaining.
Watch Wardley vs. Dubois only on DAZN
The WBO world heavyweight title is on the line for Fabio Wardley and Daniel Dubois on May 9, only on DAZN PPV. Buy as a one-off PPV or included, along with Usyk vs Verhoeven (May 23), with a DAZN Ultimate Tier subscription.
