The Anthony Joshua vs. Jarrell “Big Baby” Miller heavyweight championship bout set for June 1 at Madison Square Garden is in doubt, as Miller failed a pre-fight VADA drug test.
The undefeated Brooklyn native who accused Joshua of taking steroids during the lead up to their scheduled clash tested positive for the banned substance GW1516 also known as Cardarine.
ESPN’s Dan Rafael broke the news of the failed test and further detailed that it was a urine test done by VADA (Voluntary Anti-Doping Association) on March 20, 2019.
Miller (23-0-1, 20 KOs) is no stranger to failed drug tests, during his kickboxing career he failed a drug test in 2014 for the Glory 14 event in Los Angeles. The drug he tested positive for was methylhexaneamine and he was suspended 9-months by the California stat athletic commission.
The IBF/WBA/WBO heavyweight championship bout could be canceled or a replacement opponent will be chosen to fill the void given the New York state athletic commissions strict stance against PED usage.
Miller was very vocal about Anthony Joshua being a PED user that he went off on him at the prefight presser and on local NY radio shows questioning the British boxing stars muscular weight gain from the Olympics to the Pro’s.
Joshua has been tested multiple times and has never failed a drug test, while Miller has already been found guilty of PED usage in the past and now failed another drug test.
But the details as of now are vague and more information will be released soon.
Eddie Hearn the promoter of the event, issued a statement on his Twitter account about the situation and said Joshua is still training for June 1st:
“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,” 16 Apr 2019 @eddiehearn.
Whether Miller is cleared to fight or not it looks like Joshua will still fight on June 1st at Madison Square Garden.
