There’s an old expression about keeping words soft and sweet in case you have to eat them later. Evidently, Jarrell “Big Baby” Miller had never heard the phrase.
According to a report by ESPN’s Dan Rafael, Miller — who is currently scheduled to face Anthony Joshua in a boxing world heavyweight title fight on June 1 in Madison Square Garden — has failed a VADA test for the banned substance GW1516.
The fight was to be Joshua’s profile building debut on American soil ahead of a long sought after (and still un-negotiated) unification fight with fellow champion Deontay Wilder later this year.
BREAKING: Heavyweight contender Jarrell “Big Baby” Miller has tested positive for the banned substance GW1516 ahead his scheduled challenge of unified world titleholder Anthony Joshua, three sources with knowledge of the results told ESPN on Tuesday… https://t.co/do1KFMVV8u
— Dan Rafael (@danrafaelespn) April 17, 2019
During the press tour for Joshua vs. Miller earlier this year, ‘Big Baby’ repeatedly suggested Joshua had taken performance enhancing drugs to build mass earlier in his career.
“We can see it, you can look at him and say this dude (Joshua) is on steroids,” Miller said. “Anybody who comes out of the amateurs at 220-something pounds and a year later he’s 240-something – there’s something wrong with that picture.
“If they’re training every day and your athlete is training for multiple fights there is no way you’re going to put on twenty-something pounds of muscle in a year without taking some kind of supplements – what I’m trying to say is it’s impossible.”
Instead it’s Miller, not Joshua who faces the public’s ire. Today’s infraction marks Miller’s second drugs controversy. Back in his professional kickboxing career, Miller was suspended for nine months by the California State Athletic Commission after testing positive at GLORY 17.
GW1516, which is also known as Endurobol, is known to boost athlete’s endurance and burn fat. It’s considered so potent that in 2013, WADA released a health warning to athlete’s about the risks in taking the drug.
The status of Joshua vs. Miller is as yet unknown.
We have been informed by VADA that there has been an adverse finding in Jarrell Miller’s sample collected on March 20th, 2019. We are working with all relevant parties and will update with more details soon. AJ’s preparation continues for June 1st at MSG.
— Eddie Hearn (@EddieHearn) April 17, 2019
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