NEW YORK -- Right now the biggest name in the heavyweight division is Anthony Joshua. He's the fighter everyone else wants a piece of and on April 28 on HBO Jarrell Miller (20-0-1, 18 KOs) and Johann Duhaupas (37-4, 24 KOs) will fight to see which one of them it might be. The bout will be a WBA heavyweight title eliminator, with the winner potentially getting their shot at Joshua.
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| Miller landing a hard straight right hand |
Miller, who goes by the nickname "Big Baby," is a tall, hefty, heavyweight with good power. He likes to be the aggressor in his fights and he's actually more athletic than he appears. While Miller has a solid left hook his most dangerous punch is his straight right hand. He likes to use his jab to measure the distance to land the right hand and when he connects clean his opponent usually drops. Miller isn't just a headhunter though, he also puts in some great work to the body.
The last time a Miller opponent made it to the final bell was back in 2015. His most notable wins have come in his three most recent bouts against Fred Kassi, Gerald Washington, and Mariusz Wach, none of them going the distance. Most recently Miller's name has been mentioned as a possible opponent for Joshua, a fight any heavyweight would love to get. While Miller certainly has his hopes set on that showdown he can't overlook Duhaupas.
At 37 years old, Duhaupas is nearing the end of his career. He's been fighting professionally for 14 years but the vast majority of his early fights took place in his native France, not exactly a hotbed for boxing. While Miller is still looking for the first marquee name on his resume, Duhaupas has already fought two of them in Deontay Wilder and Alexander Povetkin, being stopped by both. Now Duhaupas will look to ruin Miller's plans of getting a fight with Joshua and get another big fight of his own.
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| Duhaupas landing a stiff jab |
Duhaupas is another massive heavyweight and he will actually have a slight height and reach advantage on Miller. He works behind a stiff jab and when he's feeling confident he really likes to let his hands go. The problem for Duhaupas is that he doesn't have top end power, at least not compared to some of the other fighters in his division. He has also been stopped twice and Miller is definitely a big puncher.
In this fight it will be Miller who has everything to lose. He's already been mentioned as a possible opponent for Joshua and that fight would earn him a career high payday. Because of that he might start out tense and need a few rounds to loosen up. However, once he gets going look for him to attack the body of the older fighter while also looking for spots to unleash his right hand. As for Duhaupas, he has nothing to lose. He's already been in big fights so he could really lay it all out on the line in this one. He can't get too courageous though or he might suffer the third stoppage of his career.
PREDICTION: Jarrell "Big Baby" Miller is probably America's second best heavyweight behind Deontay Wilder. This is the fight that could really propel him to bigger bouts in the near future and all the pressure will be on him. Despite that pressure, Miller will look good against Johann Duhaupas and he will stop the French fighter in the 10th round.
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