Jarrell “Big Baby” Miller has been denied a fight license to compete against Anthony Joshua in New York on June 1.
The denial comes after Miller, who was set to fight for Joshua’s heavyweight titles, failed a drugs test for the banned performance enhancer GW1516 (also known as Endurobol). He will now miss his chance at championship gold, as well as a reported near $5 million pay day. The LA Times first reported the news.
Endurobol is a highly potent performance enhancer, which increases athletic cardiovascular abilities and providing fat loss. In 2013, WADA sent a warning to athletes about the health risks in taking the drug.
Joshua and his team will now look for new opponents. In an interview with IFL, Joshua’s promoter, Eddie Hearn confirmed they were already looking at other opponents and Joshua would be remaining on the card. Taking place at Madison Square Garden, the event is designed to be Joshua’s breakout moment in the United States, ideally to build his name before pushing towards a unification title fight with Deontay Wilder.
Ironically, during the build up earlier this year, Miller had repeatedly accused Joshua of taking performance enhancing drugs. His current controversy with Endurobol marks his second failed test.
