Jarrell Miller To Fight Thursday During WBA’s KO To Drugs Festival In Argentina

Jarrell “Big Baby” Miller will fight in a professional boxing match for the first time in nearly four years Thursday when the heavyweight contender takes on journeyman Ariel Esteban Bracamonte of Argentina at the Casino Buenos Aires.

The event will take part as part of the WBA’s two-day KO Drugs Festival. 

Miller (23-0-1, 20 KOs) has been inactive since November 2018 due to a string of drug test failures. The brash Brooklyn-based Miller blew his shot at the heavyweight titles in 2019 when he tested positive for performance enhancing drugs weeks prior to his announced fight against Anthony Joshua. 

Instead, Andy Ruiz Jr. served as a late-replacement opponent and stunned Joshua with a knockout win. 

Miller’s career has stalled ever since. 

The soon to be 34-year-old signed a promotional deal with Top Rank and was set to return in a comeback bout against Jerry Forrest, but he failed yet another PED test in June 2020 and the fight was scrapped. Miller said the failed test was caused by a sexual performance pill he’d been using.

The Nevada State Athletic Commission suspended Miller till June 2022, and the boxer was eligible for a license beginning June 17 only if he continued producing negative drug tests through VADA’s random drug testing program.

Miller was slated to fight on a Triller Fight Club show on June 25, but those plans were ultimately scrapped. 

The last time Miller fought was on Nov. 17, 2018 when he knocked out Bogdan Dinu inside four rounds. Miller has also tested positive for a banned substance during his days as a professional kickboxer in 2014.

In recent months, Miller has served as a sparring partner for Tyson Fury and has linked up to train with Kevin Cunningham. 

The 29-year-old Bracamonte (11-7, 6 KOs) is coming off a decision loss to Demsey McKean in February. 

Manouk Akopyan is a sports journalist, writer and broadcast reporter. He’s also a member of the Boxing Writers Association of America and MMA Journalists Association. He can be reached on Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn and YouTube at @ManoukAkopyan, via email at manouk[dot]akopyan[at]gmail.com or on www.ManoukAkopyan.com.