Promoter Dmitriy Salita says he was thoroughly taken aback by his client Jarrell Miller’s latest snafu.
Fresh off a career-worst beatdown administered by Daniel Dubois last month in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Miller, the outspoken heavyweight contender from Brooklyn, New York, was arrested on carjacking and burglary charges in Florida a few days into the new year.
“I’ve spoken to his family,” Salita told Pro Boxing Fans. “I’m very surprised by what happened. I’ve read the allegations. I don’t know Jarrell to be the person described in the allegations. I don’t know Jarrell to be that aggressive and to do the things that he has done. I don’t know that side of him. I was surprised to have read about it. He called me yesterday and gave me his side of the story. I can’t comment on it. …But what he told me adds a lot of context to what has happened.”
Miller has had a rough patch ever since he tested positive for several banned performance-enhancing drugs ahead of a scheduled showdown against Anthony Joshua in 2019. Miller would fail yet another drug test the following year ahead of a scheduled fight with Jerry Forrest. That fight, which was set to take place in Las Vegas, led to a two-year suspension ban by the Nevada State Athletic Commission.
The 35-year-old Miller collected three straight wins before London’s Dubois stopped him in the 10th and final round on the undercard of Anthony Joshua vs. Otto Wallin.
Salita is still optimistic that Miller can regain his status as a legitimate contender. But he’ll need to get in shape, Salita cautioned. Miller weighs over 330 pounds—a far cry from the days he used to weigh in the high 200s.
“It was a big stage for him,” Salita said. “He was heavier than we would like him to be. But I do think that he showed that he can compete at that level. And if he can get himself together and get himself in shape, lose some weight, and take the lessons from this fight, he can still grow and get better and come back and give a lot of guys at the top a lot of good fights.
“Certainly, his personality adds a lot of flavor, him being from Brooklyn, New York, adds a lot of personality to the division. But he has to put together some wins against credible guys to put some meat on those bones. What I mean by that, to back up some of that talk. He’s had some challenges recently but it seems the situation seems to be working itself out. Hopefully everything will come back on board relatively soon.”
Salita, who has worked with Miller since 2010, said it required a bit of maneuvering to land Miller on the Saudi Arabian card, saying that few promoters were willing to work with the drug cheat.
“I was very happy that he finally got this opportunity against Daniel Dubois, something that I worked—you know, after that failed drug test, it was very difficult for Jarrell to find another opportunity to redeem himself on the big stage,” Salita said. “Many people, many networks, many broadcasters, and promoters who promote other legitimate heavyweights didn’t want to work with him. I mean, Eddie Hearn was one of the guys that publicly said it. There were others who didn’t want to work with him. Through persistence and creativity we were able to finalize this opportunity.”
Sean Nam is the author of Murder on Federal Street: Tyrone Everett, the Black Mafia, and the Last Golden Age of Philadelphia Boxing.