Written by: Sean Crose
He was one of the most interesting fighters on the heavyweight scene. A confident, outspoken New Yorker who can turn the night on at a moment's notice. There's no doubt that Jarrell “Big Baby” Miller was a fighting champion in the newly energized, post-Klitschko heavyweight division. Then came the scheduled fight against Anthony Joshua, the heavyweight contender in Joshua's American debut. Miller was tested positive before the fight, meaning his chance at a world title was gone. Andy Ruiz replaced Miller as Joshua's opponent – and beat Joshua in thrilling fashion. Now, five years later, Miller will face Ruiz on Saturday night on the undercard of Terence Crawford – Israil Madrimov on the pay-per-view card.
With both Miller and Ruiz in need of impressive wins, the question becomes : Can the Big Kid make a comeback? Much of that will depend on him, of course, and Ruiz. It's worth remembering that Miller tested positive again after the Joshua fiasco. This has led fans to understandably wonder how good this man is. He lost his last fight, after all, he was stopped by Daniel Dubois back in December.
It's worth noting, however, that Dubois is at the top of the heavyweight division and one loss is back to being viewed as just that, rather than a career destroyer, as it has been (ironically) in recent years. “I work hard,” Miller said. “Don't distort it. When I'm in that gym I blow up my butt. The Dubois fight woke up a demon in me, man, it woke up a demon that I hadn't seen in a long time and then on August 3rd I beat Andy Ruiz.”
Ruiz, of course, has other ideas. After losing the heavyweight titles he won against Joshua in a rematch that same year, the Californian didn't fight hard. Like Miller, Ruiz knows how important it is to win this weekend. “I know he's coming hungry,” Ruiz said of his opponent. “I know you want to win, but I want to win too, I'm hungry and motivated. I am physically fit and prepared. Let's do this!” While there are no guarantees in boxing, it should be a safe bet that these two heavy hitters will have an interesting showdown this weekend in Los Angeles. “One thing about me,” Miller said, “I've never run away from a fight. I never have and never will.”
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