JARRELL Miller is set to exploit a boxing loophole that will see him avoid a ban following three failed drugs tests.
The American was pulled out of his June 1 bout with Anthony Joshua and admitted he “messed up” in what Eddie Hearn described as “the most extensive case of cheating the sport has ever seen.”
The New York State Athletic Commission rightly refused to grant him a licence for his Madison Square Gardens scrap but they don’t have the authority to slap him with a lengthy suspension.
That is because Miller’s licence with New York had in fact expired.
Promoter Hearn explained to Fight Club: “The situation is, he doesn’t have a licence with the New York State Athletic Commission because it’s expired.
“So they can’t punish him. They can only refuse his licence. So he can go to any other commission and apply for a licence. I don’t think he’ll get one.”
They can’t punish him. They can only refuse his licence
Eddie Hearn
Hearn added: “This isn’t a mistake. At no point did he not know, at no point was he talked into it.
“This is cold-blooded cheating to do damage to Anthony Joshua.
“In terms of bans, it’s not for me to say. I’m still disgusted at him.
“Disgusted, because he texted me after the first one. He said, ‘I can’t believe this, I’ve not taken anything, this is a joke, blah blah blah.’ And I believed him!
“I knew he’d taken something, but I wanted to believe that he wouldn’t be that stupid. I wanted to believe that he wasn’t a cheat.”
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AJ is now scrambling to find a replacement for his New York bout with Andy Ruiz and Michael Hunter in line.
Ruiz, 29, is nicknamed The Destroyer and his only defeat in 33 fights came as he challenged Joseph Parker for the WBO title Joshua currently holds.
Hunter, meanwhile, has one loss in 17 bouts – as he was beaten on the scorecards by cruiserweight king Oleksandr Usyk as he went for his WBO strap.
