British-Nigerian boxer, Anthony Joshua, 29, will make his
American debut by defending his WBA, WBO, IBF, and IBO heavyweight titles when
he takes on New York’s Jarrell Miller at Madison Square Garden on June 1.
In a video posted to social media, Joshua whose last fight
was against Russia’s Alexander Povetkin confirmed the bout with Jarrell Miller
and explained why an agreement couldn't be reached first for a showdown with US
heavyweight champion Deontay Wilder.
He said; 'June 1 I'll be travelling to MSG. New York City,
the Big Apple,' Joshua said in a video posted to social media.
'I'm there to take a bite out of that and I'll be competing
against Jarrell Miller.
'Wembley is so close to my heart, it's a great spot, a great
location. I've fought in small halls, I've fought in arenas. And it's been a
humbling and a blessing to fight in those stadiums.
'But now it's time for a change. The current state of the
division was the undisputed championship of the world.
'Myself and [Deontay] Wilder are the current active
champions of the world. We were looking to get that fight on April 13 but
things happened, boxing politics, I'm sure you guys are aware.
So we had to branch out and look for other options. Miller
came up. It's an exciting fight, he's an undefeated heavyweight.'
His opponent Miller, 30, in a statement also promised to
knock out Anthony Joshua when they meet.
“AJ is making a huge mistake coming over here to fight me in
my own backyard,” said Miller, undefeated in 24 professional fights.
“He wants to announce himself on the American stage but all
he’s doing is delivering me those belts by hand. That punk ‘AJ’ is standing in
the way of my dreams and on June 1 he’s getting run the hell over.”
