Anthony Joshua opponent set for June U.S. debut

Heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua will defend his WBA Super, IBF, WBO and IBO World titles against Jarrell Miller in his much anticipated U.S. debut at Madison Square Garden in New York City Saturday June 1st.

The fight is going to be carried in the U.S. live on DAZN and on Sky Sports Box Office in the United Kingdom.

Joshua (22-0, 21 KOs), last defended his World titles with a KO against Alexander Povetkin last September in front of his home crowd at at Wembley Stadium. The British champed sent Povetkin to the mat in the seventh round and then dropped the WBA mandatory challenger again to get the immediate ref stoppage and end for the win.

“June 1st, I am heading to The Big Apple and I plan to embrace the culture and leave with an appetite for more,” Joshua told the media Wednesday. “I will be fighting Jarrell Miller at the legendary Madison Square Garden. It has been an honour and a blessing to fight at some of the best venues in the World at home in the UK, not least Wembley Stadium, but the time has come to head across the Atlantic and defend my Heavyweight titles in the USA. I am looking forward to taking on another challenge with a good boxer & a brilliant talker, it will be an exciting fight, I will leave nothing to chance and plan on dismantling Miller in style to make my mark.”

NYC 4 The W ?? #AJBXNG https://t.co/bvw9dipCA5 pic.twitter.com/qqZzq4p7nT

— Anthony Joshua (@anthonyfjoshua) February 13, 2019

Miller (23-0-1, 20 KOs), has been calling for a match ever since he went face up with Joshua during an exchange at the initial launch of DAZN’s streaming service in the U.S. in July of last year, and the undefeated heavyweight has been hoping to turn Joshua’s American debut into a loss in Miller’s backyard at Madison Square Garden.

The Brooklyn native Miller earned his shot at Joshua with consecutive wins over former World title opponents Gerald Washington, Mariusz Wach, Johann Duhaupas and Tomasz Adamek, who he beat quickly in 2 rounds in Chicago last October.

“AJ is making a huge mistake coming over here to fight me in my own backyard,” Miller bragged to the assembled media. “He wants to announce himself on the American stage but all he’s doing is delivering me those belts by hand. Its dog eat dog in the ring and this dog has got a bigger bite, he’ll be leaving New York empty-handed. This is the fight that I’ve been chasing all my life and on June 1 I’m going to achieve the thing I was born to do and win the Heavyweight Championship of the World. That punk AJ is standing in the way of my dreams and on June 1 he’s getting run the hell over.”

Just a moment of clarity – You don’t need any Olympics a real giant promoter. Just a huge pair of Balls and the belief That God made you for purpose so big you can’t even see it just Believe and feel it … Started from the bottom now we here. pic.twitter.com/p1ga2AXgh9

— BIGBABYMILLER (@BIGBABYMILLER) February 13, 2019

The Garden has hosted famous heavyweight champions including, Joe Louis, Rocky Marciano, Muhammad Ali, Wladimir Klitchsko and a young undefeated Mike Tyson in it’s past.