Anthony Joshua vs Jarrell Miller likely for June 2
Anthony Joshua (22-0) is all but set to face Jarrell Miller (23-0-1) in his next fight, rumoured to be held at Madison Square Garden in New York, with the bout scheduled to take place on June 2.
AJ's next opponent has been a hot topic of discussion for many months, but it looks like the undefeated KO artist from Brooklyn will be the next challenger.
The loudmouth 30-year-old American has said, "The ‘AJ’ fight is in the grasp and we’re trying to hash out the last couple of details. It’s not official yet, but I’m thinking it’s like 80 per cent [done]. It’s about 80 per cent, man. I can’t wait, man."
The reigning WBA, IBF WBO and IBO World heavyweight champion from Watford had been booked to fight at Wembley Stadium on April 13 for a long time, but difficulties in securing a suitable pay-per-view worthy opponent destroyed the original plans.
The potential for AJ to fight Tyson Fury, Deontay Wilder or former victim Dillian Whyte all fell through. WithFury and Wilder set for a rematch it just left Brixton 'Body Snatcher Dillian Whyte, who received an offer to face his former conqueror, but branded thae proposal as 'utterly ridiculous'.
Because a deal hadn't been struck with any of the aforementioned trio, the London 2012 Olympic gold medallist will now look across the Atlantic to make his US debut.
Wilder and Fury are the two fighters that, generally, the majority of fans and pundits want Joshua to face next. Not many are keen to see AJ fight Miller, having seemingly just talked himself into the fight by crashing last year's big press conference in New York to announce the lucrative DAZN deal and to build the hype for Joshua's last fight with Povetkin. 'Big Baby' lived up to his moniker by hurling insults at AJ, who was immediately riled by the disrespectful behaviour,.
The Brooklyn native has had his eye on Joshua since then and seems to have a genuine dislike for the Londoner and is relishing the opportunity to derail his ‘hype’ train.
The New Yorker said, “I was quiet for a little while, I had to take care of some internal stuff. We’re still having out, you know, these errors.
“But the ‘AJ’ fight is in the grasp and we’re trying to hash out the last couple of details. It’s not official yet, but I’m thinking it’s like 80 per cent [done]. It’s about 80 per cent, man. I can’t wait, man.
“He wants to come to America and I think it’s going to be great for USA boxing, especially for American boxing."
Disappointed Whyte, who lost to Joshua in December 2012, has since stated that he’s now likely to fight Alexander Povetkin, Luis Ortiz or WBC no.1 Dominic Brezeale instead.
"The Joshua fight is dead. It is not happening at the minute so we move on," Jamaican-born Whyte told Sky Sports. "The good thing is I am in a position where I have got options.
"We wanted the fight, I think they wanted the fight as well but sometimes negotiations break down. I believe I have a certain value, bring a certain value to the fight. I need belief that this is what he wants to give me.
"I fight April 20 here [The O2] hopefully against Dominic Breazeale, Alexander Povetkin, Luis Ortiz or one of those guys. Let's see what Eddie [Hearn] can deliver in the next couple of days."
Quizzed on who he would like next, Whyte chose a former opponent of Joshua’s.
"I would fight Dominic Breazeale because he is a big guy, only lost once and he is WBC mandatory challenger," he added.