Controversial U.S. heavyweight to potentially fight for world title.
The heavyweight division is home to some of the biggest personalities in all of boxing. The land where fights carry knockout potential more than any other weight class, the men throwing the punches capture attention in a particular way.
Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua are, of course, just two examples of the heavyweight stars of today, with the United Kingdom taking up a very large portion of big men in the sport.
However, one of the few Americans who occupy a spot in the world heavyweight rankings happens to be one of the most controversial fighters in all of boxing and may just be set for a shot at a world title soon.
Jarrell Miller gained attention when he was set to fight Anthony Joshua in 2019. The Brooklynite was meant to welcome “AJ” to the ring in his United States debut. However, things didn’t work out that way.
That is because Miller would test positive for three separate banned substances prior to the fight, ruling him out of the fight entirely and replacing him with Andy Ruiz Jr., who would famously shock the Briton to take his unified championship.
When he was scheduled to return a year later, Miller once again failed a drug test, with the PED GW501516 being found in his system yet again.
Since returning in 2022, Miller has appeared in several high-profile bouts against the likes of Daniel Dubois and Andy Ruiz Jr., but most recently defeated Lenier Peró in a WBA title eliminator.
In an interview with iFL TV, Eddie Hearn of Matchroom Boxing stated, “There’s a little bit of confusion with the WBA. I mean, [Murat] Gassiev’s the champion. He’s gotta fight Jarrell Miller–our guy–which we’re negotiatin’ at the moment.”
Should Miller vs. Gassiev take place, it could very well provide the American with an unexpected second life at the world level of boxing.
🚨 HEARN SAYS HE’S “NEGOTIATING” GASSIEV-MILLER
💥 Eddie Hearn: “There’s a little bit of confusion with the WBA [belt at heavyweight]. [Murat] Gassiev is the champion. He’s got to fight Jarrell Miller, our guy, which we’re negotiating at the moment.” [@IFLTV] pic.twitter.com/gJW8xOXzAA
— EverythingBoxing | Darshan Desai (@EverythingBoxi2) August 6, 2026
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