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Coming To America: Anthony Joshua Vs. Jarrell Miller On June 1 At Madison Square Garden

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It's official. Anthony Joshua is coming to America. The long-anticipated American debut for Anthony Joshua has arrived. The current WBO, WBA and IBF heavyweight champion will be fighting Jarrell Miller on June 1 at the Mecca of boxing, Madison Square Garden in New York. The event will be broadcast on DAZN USA and Sky Sports.

Although I published weeks ago that this announcement was inevitable, this is a big step in unification for the heavyweight division which is long overdue. With the conversation in the heavyweight division being dominated by Deontay Wilder and Tyson Fury after their exciting heavyweight bout that ended in a draw in December in Los Angeles, it had taken some of the shine off Joshua's value with Wilder's and Fury's relevance having increased. Although there were negotiations for Joshua and Wilder to fight, it seemed like both sides were never truly close to reaching a deal.

Regardless, it's a big deal that the six foot six inch 2012 Olympic gold medalist and current owner of 75 percent of the heavyweight titles is coming to the United States to fight for the fight time out of his homeland in the UK. Joshua, the undefeated champion is going to be on full display in the center of the universe. Not to mention, let's give Joshua and promoter Eddie Hearn a lot of credit here. Although many might say they had no choice, they could have pushed for this fight to remain in the UK and they would have gotten the deal done. Instead, they're taking the risk of not only fighting out of their comfort zone but fighting in the Brooklyn native, Miller's backyard. Make no mistake, the big and athletic Miller is no pushover. Boxing fans are in for a fight.

Joshua recently told the BBC, "I am heading to the Big Apple and I plan to embrace the culture and leave with an appetite for more. It has been an honour and a blessing to fight at some of the best venues in the world and 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." Joshua continued, "I am looking forward to taking on another challenge with a good boxer and 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."

When speaking with Miller's promoter, Dmitry Salita a couple of weeks ago, Salita said, "I feel that Jarrell is the best Heavyweight in the world! He uses his size to his advantage and fights with the athleticism of a fighter in a different weight class." Salita continued, "Jarrell has great hand and foot speed, is a high volume puncher and has a great chin.  It’s unusual for a big heavyweight to have all of these traits, but he does and for these reasons I see him winning a very exciting fight, whenever it happens."

Today, Salita had the following to say, "I am looking forward to a great night on June 1 when Jarrell will bring home the Unified Heavyweight world title and join the list of Brooklyn Heavyweight greats Mike Tyson and Riddick Bowe. It’s very rewarding on a personal level to have been involved in this journey from the earliest development stages of his career."

Eddie Hearn also expressed concern recently to Sky Sports, saying, "It is a risky affair, in that respect, because he is used to his home comforts - 90,000 at Wembley and 80,000 at the Principality Stadium a couple of times each. Now he goes to the Mecca of boxing, the iconic Madison Square Garden, where the great heavyweights have performed - Ali, Frazier, Louis, Marciano, Tyson,"

"It is a major moment for his career. It has probably come earlier than we expected but he goes there on June 1, and it will be a major statement to the world. It is a tough fight but also a new experience. "He is going into Miller's backyard. Miller is from Brooklyn. He is going to have big support, and he has a big mouth! They already have some history.

"Miller is a huge personality and huge is stature - he is about 22 stone. Bizarrely he has an unbelievable work-rate as well. He will be a problem in the ring. He has called for this fight. He has been controversial and has landed a few low blows. It didn't go down well. There was a reason - he wanted this fight and he has got his wish. They say 'be careful what you wish for'. The good news for Miller is that he gets this fight in his backyard."

This is a great step for the heavyweight division, a great step for boxing and great for the fans.