Big Baby Miller gearing up for heavyweight takeover

Photo: Rosie Cohe/Showtime

Unbeaten heavyweight contender Jarrell “Big Baby” Miller (17-0-1, 15 KOs) participated in an Open Media Workout Tuesday at Mendez Boxing in Manhattan, NY. Miller, who fights out of Brooklyn, will be featured in the ten-round main event on a ShoBox: The New Generation tripleheader on August 19 from the outdoor soccer venue at Rhinos Stadium in Rochester, NY.

Although has yet to face a world class opponent, the 6’4, 270-pound, 28-year-old Miller is currently rated WBO #8, IBF #9 and WBA #9. His August 19 foe Fred Kassi (18-5-1, 10 KOs), 0-3-1 in his last four, represents a major step up in competition. However, if the brash, trash-talking Miller can continue to deliver in the ring, his bombastic personality could make him a major star.

On Deontay Wilder…

“Wilder is a wild man when he gets in that ring, but at the same time if you watch how he performs, he performs at a mediocre level against mediocre fighters. If you stick him to a world professional athlete, like myself or top guys, you’ll see him bring even more. Not saying he hasn’t been in the ring with A+ fighters yet, but you can see all his loopholes in his fighting style. It’s just a matter of time before he gets really exposed and I hope it is with me because I want that behind.

“Shorter fighters do what they do, taller fighters do what they do. Deontay is tall but he doesn’t do what his body is designed to do; he’s trying to do something that smaller guys do, so that is going to be his downfall. Like I said, it is just a matter of time and I am going to break him in half, him and his toothpick legs.

“I was watching the livestream of the Wilder-Arreola fight and it was horrible. It was horrible because he is the heavyweight champion of the world. He doesn’t understand that he is doing more damage to himself than he thinks he is. He’s getting hurt. He’s getting hit. He’s taking some punishment.

“I want to fight Wilder. If he sees my style, if he sees my footwork, he’ll realize I’m no Artur Szpilka or Chris Arreola. And when I get in there, well, most of my fights end up in knockouts. I’m 100 percent power. Once I touch them, they are getting hurt.”

On Anthony Joshua…

“Joshua is overrated, overhyped. I am going to break that jaw of his. Definitely one of the weakest of the heavyweight champs.

“It comes down to the basics. You have a lot of guys that have a lot of punching power and basic skills and that’s not enough. Joshua is a basic heavyweight, a one-two fighter. I could cut that half way across the ring.

“I’d fight Joshua when the timing is right. I personally don’t want to go and fight Joshua just because I’m his ‘next.’ I think that when the time is right, it’ll be me and him at the MGM Grand on pay-per-view. One of those super sweepstakes fights, you know.”

On Tyson Fury…

“I like Tyson Fury, I still want to break his fingers in half but he is good for the sport of boxing and I feel like me and him for a main event will sell any arena out. He talks a lot of smack and he does back it up, but he is still a jokester and I am real. I will smash him if he tries to step on me in the press conference. I will knock him out, same way I will for everyone else.

“A fight between us two will be like Comedy Central on steroids, it would be bananas. It would sell out kind of like a Mayweather-Pacquiao … I feel like we can capture the heavyweight division and put it back on the map, just because of the way he talks. As an American heavyweight, I feel like we have to take over American soil first. I’ll fight anywhere and anytime, but on the business side, I have to take over my country first.”

On the Heavyweight Division…

“They better get motivated now because I’m coming. I’m hungry and I’m motivated. SHOWTIME is having me on the main event on national television. I’m telling you I’m coming, and I’m coming to stay. They better get ready.

“I’m different to all the heavyweights out there. I’m not chasing a payday. I’m chasing a legacy. I’m trying to change the layout. I’m trying to change the game. I’m trying to change my future and make history at the same time.”

On Training Camp…

“Training camp is going real well. I put on a lot of muscle for this camp, I’m going to put on a lot of solid mass, I am going to go in there and manhandle it. Like a chew toy in a dog’s mouth, I want to mangle it.

“I’m really committed to this training camp. I’ve made some changes: less cheeseburgers. I cut down from three cheeseburgers to one cheeseburger a day. Same thing, in the gym every day, not doing anything different. My main thing is my strength and my speed and we are going to see, come Aug. 19.”

On His opponent, Fred Kassi…

“Supposedly Fred Kassi is the most durable guy I have fought in my whole entire boxing career. This is what they are saying and I tip my hat off to the guy; he’s been in some fights where I thought he won and he ended up on the wrong side of the decision. When he fought other fighters, he had three weeks training camp, two weeks’ notice. He had two months to get ready for this. I’m not a last-minute opponent. He’s going to come in ready and I’m not about to underestimate him.

“I’m a boxer-puncher and he’s more one-dimensional. He switches back and forth, he’s not pretty at what he does, but no worries, you can look at me, because I am nice at what I do.

“I predict a fifth-sixth round knockout. Kassi is definitely a doable guy, but I feel once he sees my size and my pressure and the speed that I bring with my footwork – it’s going to be game over for him. I know for a fact I’m going to knock out Fred Kassi, fifth or sixth round. That’s what I do, I take your heart, I take your soul, I take your ribs.”