Heavyweight contender Jarrell Miller talking a lot of smack about champions

Jarrell Miller

Jarrell Miller/Photo courtesy of Salita Promotions

 

It appears heavyweight contender Jarrell Miller is trying to take the Floyd Mayweather Jr. path to stardom. Miller talks a lot of trash, and he’s been bashing the heavyweight champions of late.

For example, he said he wants to break Deontay Wilder and “his toothpick legs” in half. Miller refers to Anthony Joshua as “definitely one of the weakest of the heavyweight champs.”

But he does seem to at least have some respect for Tyson Fury, who holds two of the belts.

“I like Tyson Fury,” said Miller, a top 10 contender who Aug. 19 will take on Fred Kassi at Rhinos Stadium in Rochester, N.Y. (on Showtime). “I still want to break his fingers in half, but he is good for the sport of boxing and I feel like me and him for a main event will sell any arena out. He talks a lot of smack and he does back it up, but he is still a jokester and I am real. I will smash him if he tries to step on me in the press conference. I will knock him out, same way I will for everyone else.”

Miller then said something about a potential fight with Fury that was kind of out there.

“A fight between us two will be like Comedy Central on steroids, it would be bananas,” Miller said. “It would sell out kind of like a Mayweather-(Manny) Pacquiao. … I feel like we can capture the heavyweight division and put it back on the map, just because of the way he talks.

“As an American heavyweight, I feel like we have to take over American soil first. I’ll fight anywhere and any time. But on the business side, I have to take over my country first.”

Miller, of Brooklyn, is 17-0-1 with 15 knockouts. Kassi, of New Orleans, is 18-5-1 with 10 knockouts.

Twitter Facebook Pinterest Reddit Tumblr Email Snailmail

Jarrell Miller wants to break Deontay Wilder and ‘his toothpick legs’ in half

Jarrell Miller

Jarrell Miller/Photo courtesy of Salita Promotions

 

They say confidence breeds success. From the tone of his comments during a workout Tuesday from New York City, heavyweight contender Jarrell Miller is very confident. Whether that turns into success at the highest level remains to be seen.

Miller (17-0-1, 15 KOs) – ranked as high as No. 8 by one organization – on Aug. 19 will take on journeyman Fred Kassi  (18-5-1, 10 KOs)  of New Orleans in the 10-round main event from Rhinos Stadium in Rochester, N.Y. (on Showtime). But Miller has bigger fish to fry, and he’s hopeful Deontay Wilder is in that mix down the road.

Wilder holds one of the championship belts, and he’s coming off a thorough thrashing of Chris Arreola, who did not answer the bell for the ninth round of their fight this past Saturday at Legacy Arena in Birmingham, Ala.

Miller used Tuesday’s workout to call out Wilder, who is now 37-0 with 36 knockouts.

“Wilder is a wild man when he gets in that ring, but at the same time if you watch how he performs, he performs at a mediocre level against mediocre fighters,” MIller said. “If you stick him to a world professional athlete, like myself or top guys, you’ll see him bring even more. Not saying he hasn’t been in the ring with A-plus fighters yet, but you can see all his loopholes in his fighting style. It’s just a matter of time before he gets really exposed and I hope it is with me because I want that behind.”

MIller, who is 6-foot-4, suggested the 6-7 Wilder does not use his height to his advantage.

“Shorter fighters do what they do, taller fighters do what they do,” Miller said. “Deontay is tall, but he doesn’t do what his body is designed to do; he’s trying to do something that smaller guys do, so that is going to be his downfall. Like I said, it is just a matter of time and I am going to break him in half, him and his toothpick legs.”

Miller, 28, is from Brooklyn.

Twitter Facebook Pinterest Reddit Tumblr Email Snailmail

Brooklyn heavyweight contender Jarrell Miller knows technique is vital

Jarrell Miller

Jarrell Miller/Photo courtesy of Salita Promotions

 

Jarrell Miller of Brooklyn is looking to make a name for himself in the heavyweight division. Although he has a record of 17-0-1 with 15 knockouts against very mediocre competition, he apparently realizes that this game is about a lot more than just power.

This past Saturday’s heavyweight title fight between champion Anthony Joshua of England and Alhambra’s Dominic Breazeale showed Miller that, if he didn’t already know it.

“I’m going back to basics in this camp,” said Miller, who next will take on journeyman Fred Kassi on Aug. 19 at Rhinos Stadium in Rochester, N.Y. (on Showtime). “I’m an advanced fighter, but there are a couple of things I’ve wanted to work on. It’s easy for heavyweights to rely on power and forget about technique. You see what happened to Dominic Breazeale against Anthony Joshua?  His power didn’t mean jack because there was no technique behind it.  I want to be the kind of fighter who puts his technique first and power last.”

Breazeale was 17-0 with 15 knockouts when he stepped into the ring with Joshua, and Joshua stopped Breazeale in the seventh round. Breazeale’s lack of technique – he didn’t don the boxing gloves until he was 23 – was evident, especially when compared to Joshua’s.

Miller, 27, is ranked as high as No. 8 in the world by one governing body and No. 9 by another. He stands 6-foot-4.

Kassi is 0-3-1 in his past four bouts. But the losses were to Amir Mansour, Breazeale and Hughie Fury; the draw was against contender Chris Arreola. Kassi (18-5-1, 10 KOs) seems unfazed by Miller’s accomplishments.

“I approach Jarrell like all young fighters,” said Kassi, 36, of New Orleans.  “I’m a seasoned pro that has fought top-tier opponents. Jarrell will have to bring his ‘A’ game against me. He’s got size and power, but it’s nothing I haven’t seen.”

 

Twitter Facebook Pinterest Reddit Tumblr Email Snailmail

Deontay Wilder stops Duhaupas in 11th, Dominic Breazeale wins decision

Deontay Wilder

Deontay Wilder/Photo courtesy of Premier Boxing Champions

 

Deontay Wilder on Saturday evening defended his heavyweight world title for the second time by stopping Johann Duhaupas of France in the 11th round at Legacy Arena in Birmingham, Ala. The bout was stopped by referee Jack Reiss at 55 seconds.

Wilder, of Tuscaloosa, Ala., made his first defense in Birmingham as well, when he knocked out Eric Molina in the ninth round in June at Bartow Arena.

Wilder is now 35-0 with 34 knockouts. The only fighter he hasn’t knocked out as a pro is Bermane Stiverne, from whom Wilder took the title with a unanimous decision in January in Las Vegas.

Wilder was winning by scores of 100-90, 99-91 and 99-91 at the time of the stoppage. There was heavy swelling under Wilder’s left eye, but he dominated and really beat up Duhaupas.

Also on the NBC-televised card, heavyweight prospect Dominic Breazeale of Alhambra is now 16-0 after winning a 10-round unanimous decision over Fred Kassi in the semi-main event. Breazeale, a 2012 U.S. Olympian, won by scores of 98-92, 97-93 and 100-90.

 

Twitter Facebook Pinterest Reddit Tumblr Email Snailmail

Carl Frampton decked twice, but retains super bantamweight title

Carl Frampton shown at Friday’s weigh-in/Photo courtesy of Lucas Noonan, PBC

 

Carl Frampton of Belfast, Northern Ireland on Saturday afternoon was decked twice in the first round by Alejandro Gonzalez Jr., but Frampton recovered to retain his super bantamweight world title with a unanimous decision at Don Haskins Convention Center in El Paso, Texas. The Premier Boxing Champions card was televised by CBS.

Frampton (21-0, 14 KOs) won by scores of 115-109, 116-108 and 116-108. Gonzalez (25-2-2, 15 KOs), of Mexico, had  two points deducted for low blows. It was Frampton’s U.S. debut.

The semi-main event saw heavyweights Chris Arreola (36-4-1, 31 KOs) of Riverside and Fred Kassi (18-3-1, 10 KOs)  of New Orleans box to a 10-round majority draw. The scores were 95-95, 95-95 and 96-94 for Arreola.

 

Twitter Facebook Pinterest Reddit Tumblr Email Snailmail