Jarrell Miller may not be in a position to compete for a heavyweight title (again) anytime soon, but he figures to play a sizable role in helping someone else defend his.
The embattled Miller, a former top contender from Brooklyn who saw his once promising career implode from numerous failed drug tests, is assisting WBC heavyweight titlist Tyson Fury as a sparring partner for Fury’s title defense against British countryman Dillian Whyte, according to an Instagram post published Tuesday by More Media Hits, Miller’s publicist. In the post, Miller is shown posing with Fury, Joseph Parker, and trainer SugarHill Steward at Fury’s gym in Morecambe, a seaside town in northwest England.
Fury and Whyte are set to face each other April 23 at Wembley Stadium. Miller was apparently brought in by Fury because Jared Anderson, the rising heavyweight who was supposed to spar with Fury and who also had a fight of his own on the Fury-Whyte undercard, suffered an injury last week.
“I got my ass kicked just a little bit today, but it’s aight though,” Miller said as he finished up a workout in a separate video post on Instagram. “I’ve been off for a little while. Big Baby’s back!”
The appearance of Miller as an aide-de-camp to arguably the top heavyweight talent in the sport dovetails with recent awareness that the Brooklynite is nearing the end of his suspension in the state of Nevada for testing positive for a banned substance in 2020, ahead of what was supposed to be a bout with Jerry Forest that July. The performance enhancing drug in question was GW501516, a fat burner. After some deliberation, the Nevada State Athletic Commission ended up handing Miller a backdated two-year suspension. Miller put in a request with the NSAC to curtail the suspension, but it was denied last week. Nevertheless, Miller will be eligible for a new license on June 17, on the condition that he continues to abide by random drug testing protocols administered by VADA.
Miller has popped hot for PEDs several times throughout his career, the most famous of which occurred ahead of his scheduled June 2019 bout against then unified heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua at Madison Square Garden in New York City. Miller tested positive for human growth hormone, EPO and GW501516.
Miller (23-0-1, 20 KOs) also tested positive for a banned substance connected to a kickboxing bout in 2014 – Miller was a kickboxer before he pursued professional boxing – held in California, and for which he served a suspension.
The last time Miller entered a boxing ring was in November 2018, when he stopped Bogdan Dinu inside four rounds at Kansas Star Arena in Mulvane, Kansas.