ANTHONY JOSHUA came face-to-face with his next opponent Jarrell Miller for the first time at a predictably tense and taunt-fuelled press conference in New York on Tuesday.
The pair will clash for Joshuaโs WBA โsuperโ and IBF titles at Madison Square Garden on June 1 after projected negotiations with the likes of Tyson Fury and Deontay Wilder fell through.
Brooklyn-born Miller, whose unbeaten 24-fight record boasts few recognisable names, appeared to anger Joshua by shoving his chest during their initial head-to-head.
From that moment the pair were kept apart on the press conference stage, with a serious-looking Joshua content to let challenger Miller do most of the talking.
Miller said: โYouโve got no idea โ I breathe and eat and sleep Anthony Joshua.
โIโve got a picture of him of my screensaver, Iโve got a picture of him on my wall. I wake up in the morning and I think about Anthony Joshua.
โThis is bigger than boxing, bigger than belts, bigger than me. Iโm playing by nobodyโs rules and the sooner you understand that you get to know the kind of man I am.โ
Joshuaโs attempt to land a further unification bout has been frustrated since he won his last bout against Alexander Povetkin by seventh-round stoppage in September.
With Fury and Wilder eyeing a rematch โ and the situation further complicated by the fact all three major players in the division are now contracted to rival US networks โ Miller, despite his average-looking record, was the next best in line.
Joshua appeared to struggle to summon the enthusiasm for his latest title defence, giving short shrift to the handful of questions from the floor and mocking Millerโs credentials for the fight.
Joshua said: โIโm going to take it seriously but he isnโt as smart as me and Iโll knock him out, 100 per cent. He punches like a fairy โ heโs the softest puncher in the heavyweight division.โ