With the depressing news breaking that tells us how yet another big-name heavyweight has tested positive for an illegal substance, Jarrell “Big Baby” Miller on this occasion, Anthony Joshua might be needing a new challenger for his scheduled June 1st fight in New York. It remains to be seen if Miller will indeed be chucked out, but there is obviously a good chance he will be.
If so, who could AJ fight instead?
So far, just hours after news of Miller’s failed test broke, three names have offered their services: Michael Hunter, who tweeted, “Call me, Eddie,” in what seems an effort to try and arrange the fight with promoter Hearn, Joe Joyce, or actually his manager, who also tweeted Hearn, stating how Joyce is more qualified to fight Joshua than Miller was/is, and Joseph Parker, who lost a wide (and quite dull) decision to Joshua last year.
If it were up to the paying fans, chances are Luis Ortiz’ name would come up, the Cuban puncher recommended for the late replacement step in. But would this fight be deemed far too risky by Team-Joshua? If it is one of the three names listed above, who of them gives AJ the best challenge? No-one really wants to see Joshua fight Parker again, while Hunter and Joyce don’t seem experienced enough quite yet.
Maybe Hearn already has someone else in mind and has in fact already got in touch with a fighter he is having on standby just in case Miller is suspended and the June 1 fight falls apart. Only time will tell.
Dillian Whyte would seem to be an obvious choice to step in for Miller. Whyte, who is training for a fight in the summer, in July, was close to getting his rematch with Joshua before Miller wound up getting the fight instead. But Whyte balked at the money offered to him by Hearn, and it seems unlikely the offer would be increased for a June 1 fight.
Joshua, though, has to fight somebody, or else his training camp will have been for zero and his planned U.S debut will not happen as scheduled. Has Miller given a thought yet to the big mess he may well have created?
