Heavyweight contender Jarrell ‘Big Baby’ Miller 23-0-1 (20) insists he has “done nothing wrong” after he returned an adverse finding in a drug-testing sample.
The undefeated American was scheduled to challenge WBA, IBF and WBO heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua 22-0 (21) at Madison Square Garden in New York on June 1 but the New York State Athletic Commission has refused to licence him to fight after failing a VADA-administered drug test.
“The facts will prevail and I shall be vindicated,” said the 30-year-old from Brooklyn. “My team and I stand for integrity, decency and honesty and we will fight this with everything we have.”
Miller turned in the adverse finding on March 20. His team have now requested his B sample be tested.
The decision by NYSAC to refuse to sanction the bout in light of the test result has left Joshua without an opponent for his high profile US debut.
Miller meanwhile will lose out on reported purse of around £5m.
“I am absolutely devastated upon hearing the news my boxing license has been revoked in NY State and I will be vigorously appealing this decision,” Miller wrote in a post on Instagram.
“I have never knowingly taken any banned substance and when I found out the news last night I was totally shocked.
“This was a voluntarily test that I was very happy to do and these results came just one week after another voluntarily test that I had taken which was completely clean.
“I refuse to just lie down and let my dream be taken away from me when I know in my heart that I’ve done nothing wrong.
“I don’t have anything to hide and the truth will make itself known.”
Joshua’s promoter Eddie Hearn of Matchroom Boxing is now scrambling to find a viable opponent for the British world champion with just six weeks to go until fight night.
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