In a massive earthquake to Anthony Joshua’s United States plans, opponent Jarrell Miller has tested positive for a banned substance six weeks out from their fight.
Joshua was due to meet Miller at Madison Square Garden on June 1 in what is to be the Briton’s stateside debut.
Bad blood between the pair had generated interest in the clash, which now looks set to fall apart after promoter Eddie Hearn confirmed the news.
“We have been informed by VADA that there has been an adverse finding in Jarrell Miller’s sample collected on March 20th, 2019,” said Hearn.
“We are working with all relevant parties and will update with more details soon. AJ’s preparation continues for June 1st at MSG,” he added.
In all likeliness, Miller will face a ban and will not be allowed to compete in the summer encounter.
Reports have since filtered out that Miller tested positive for GW1516 (Endurobol), which first came to light at the Beijing Olympics in 2008.
Endurobol can be used as an ergogenic performance-enhancing drug. It was subsequently banned in 2009.
In the past, Endurobol has been found promoting weight-loss. It is used in body-building on the black market. According to wider descriptions, Endurobol can modulate ‘hormone levels and metabolic rates’ in athletes.
There have also been several health risks linked to GW1516, including the potential for the drug to cause cancer.
In regards to Miller’s participation in the Joshua fight, the New York State Athletic Commission usually take a hard line on these sorts of cases.
‘Big Baby’ can at least expect to lose his place opposite Joshua on the fight poster. Nothing has yet been confirmed.
SELL-OUT
In recent past, even the likes of Canelo have been forced to scrap a big-money fight with Gennady Golovkin. The Mexican had to serve a six-month ban despite giving an explanation to the Nevada Commission in 2018.
Madison Square Garden is on the verge of being a sell-out for the date in question. This means some of the pressure will be off Hearn if he is forced to search for a replacement.
Miller’s promoter Dmitriy Salita released a short statement on developments.
Salita said: “We are in the process of obtaining further information about VADA’s finding. We will have more to say soon on this developing situation.
“In the meantime, Jarrell continues to train for his June 1 fight against Anthony Joshua.”
