UNBEATEN heavyweight contender Jarrell Miller is angling for a shot at division leader Tyson Fury as he prepares to face Fred Kassi later tonight (August 19).
The heavy-hitting Brooklynite will fight Kassi at Rhinos Stadium in Rochester, New York in a bid to improve on his already lofty world ranking with several governing bodies.
He already has his sights set firmly on the heavyweight world champions, though wants Fury first as he believes the WBO and WBA champion is currently the best of the bunch.
โAnthony Joshua is a punk. Deontay Wilder, donโt get me started,” he said.
“Now, Tyson Fury can actually punch. Iโll give him that. From all of them, Fury in my opinion is the better one. Thatโs why I want to fight him.
“I believe you should go for the hardest ones first. You take the biggest guy out first and then, you go for the easy ones. Thatโs how itโs supposed to be and thatโs what Iโd like to do. Take the hard ones out first. Fury, you are next.โ
Weighing in yesterday for his contest with Kassi, Miller tipped the scales at a whopping 296lbs – a career high – while Fred was 237lbs.
Despite his size, Miller has relatively fast hands and a decent engine. He has warned future opponents against underestimating his endurance.
โMike Tyson was a freak of nature. Vitali Klitschko was a freak of nature. Iโm also a freak of nature. Iโm 6โ 4โ and pushing 280. Iโm a big guy, but Iโm athletic. I can move. I can punch, and I was a kickboxer. Iโm not your average heavyweight.ย Iโm not trying to change the blueprint of how heavyweights should be.ย Iโm just being myself and doing my job,” he continued.
โThey are like, โweโve seen his body, weโve seen his size. Weโll outwork him,โ but they are wrong.ย Never can judge a book by its cover.ย Iโll outwork him in the ring. Iโm fast, Iโm good and I can punch. Heโs not going to see me coming.
โDonโt let my weight fool you. Iโve been doing cardio. Iโm in really good shape and Iโm ready to go the distance.”
Miller is aware that Kassi is a significant underdog against him, but is also privy to the fact he needs to look good against the Cameroonian in order to move himself closer to title shots.
โEvery fight, I have to know how to adjust. I feel like Fred has never been in with a guy like me,” he said.
“Heโs been with [Chris] Arreola, who doesnโt move as much, and he also fought [Dominic] Breazeale, who doesnโt have good footwork. Iโm telling you, heโs never fought a big athletic body like me. Heโs in for a surprise.
โI know my jab is going to be on his face. For me, itโs not just about winning, itโs about performance.ย Every fight in my career from now on itโs about more than winning. Now I have to prove myself. I have to prove Iโm worthy of a title shot.”