Heavyweight stars come to blows at fiery press conference
There is no love lost between Anthony Joshua and Jarrell Miller.
The heavyweight opponents only met in person for the first time on Wednesday, but it took just seconds for the sparks to fly.
Joshua and Miller are set to fight at Madison Square Garden on June 2, the former’s first fight outside the United Kingdom.
It’s home turf for Miller, who grew up in Brooklyn.
The hulking American took it to the Brit the instant the two came together, shoving his opponent on stage before a press conference.
Neither fighter backed down, each offering a series of spicy quotes to the assembled media afterward.
“I am not here to win a popularity contest. I don’t want to focus on the recognition part,” Joshua said.
“I am going to knock (Miller) out on June 1.
“He’s the softest puncher in the heavyweight division.
“I just gave him a big paycheck and some cheeseburgers. It was an easy promotion.”
Miller wasn’t about to take that kind of treatment lying down, vowing to make sure the Englishman felt uncomfortable during his stay in the States.
The challenger threw a barrage of insults at his opponent, ranging from “phony” to “prom queen” among the G-rated barbs exchanged by the duo.
“I am ready, you have no idea,” he said.
“I breathe, eat and sleep Anthony Joshua. I got a picture on my wall of Anthony Joshua. I wake up in the morning with Anthony Joshua.
“The way I got here is unconventional, something out of a fantasy book. I worked hard for this, hard. Ground it out. I got to go to war.”
Joshua and Miller have both built impressive records leading into the fight.
The former is undefeated and holds the WBA, IBF, WBO and IBO belts, but has not fought outside the UK.
Miller, meanwhile, boasts a 23-0-1 record with 20 knockouts.
