By Geno McGahee
Jarrell “Big Baby” Miller, 22-0-1, 19 KO’s, is widely considered the best heavyweight after Anthony Joshua, Deontay Wilder and Tyson Fury, and has been groomed to be the world champion. Miller is a large heavyweight with a high work output and good combinations. He used his size to maul the much smaller and older Tomasz Adamek in his last fight and he is now getting ready to go for the WBA “regular” Heavyweight Title, a belt that doesn’t mean much, but it’s a bargaining chip to get into the ring with one of the true champions.
Recently, Fres Oquendo, 37-8, 24 KO’s, elected not to fight Miller. Oquendo has been jerked around a lot when it comes to the heavyweight title. The 45-year-old heavyweight has not fought since 2014, when he lost a highly controversial decision to Ruslan Chagaev for the vacant WBA title. Fights with Lucas Browne, Manual Charr and Shannon Briggs all tested positive for banned substances and has kept Oquendo on the shelf. Considering his time off the sport, it’s not a good idea to step back in with a guy as sharp as young as Jarrell Miller. Browne, Charr and Briggs were winnable fights. He can’t beat Miller at this point.
With Oquendo out, Bogdan Dinu, 18-0, 14 KO’s, steps in and if you haven’t heard of him, you’re not alone. The Romanian heavyweight has fought absolutely nobody but is ranked #9 in the WBA. Going against Miller, he is taking a huge step up in quality and it’s highly unlikely that he will be able to compete with the much bigger fighter.
Miller is waiting for the dust to clear at the top of the division before he makes his move. Despite his war with Anthony Joshua recently, that fight is not on the immediate agenda. Miller isn’t the star that he needs to be to have any pull in a Joshua showdown and he’s too much of a threat for AJ for the money he’d make. He could take on any challenger and get the same paycheck. Why take on Miller at this point? The demand has to grow.
So look for Big Baby to acquire the WBA regular heavyweight title with relative ease and put some defenses in before he sets his sights on the other champions or the unified champion if the top of the division sorts itself out.
