Anthony Joshua will make his American debut when he puts his world heavyweight titles on the line against American Jarrell Miller in June.
The unbeaten 'Big Baby' Miller will provide the latest challenge for WBA Super, IBF, WBO and IBO champion at Madison Square Garden in New York on June 1.
With Tyson Fury and Deontay Wilder set to fight again in a rematch, it left limited options for Joshua and he and his promoter Eddie Hearn have now accepted the challenge of Miller to make Joshua's American debut.
“June 1st I am heading to The Big Apple and I plan to embrace the culture and leave with an appetite for more,” said Joshua.
“I will be fighting Jarrell Miller at the legendary Madison Square Garden. It has been an honour and a blessing to fight at some of the best venues in the World 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.
"I am looking forward to taking on another challenge with a good boxer & 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.”
Miller says Joshua is making a big mistake in taking him on in his own backyard, with the sizeable heavyweight, who tips the scales at over 22 stones, vowing to remove the British boxer of his title belts.
“AJ is making a huge mistake coming over here to fight me in my own backyard,” said Miller. “He wants to announce himself on the American stage but all he’s doing is delivering me those belts by hand. Its dog eat dog in the ring and this dog has got a bigger bite, he'll be leaving New York empty-handed.
"This is the fight that I’ve been chasing all my life and on June 1 I’m going to achieve the thing I was born to do and win the Heavyweight Championship of the World. That punk AJ is standing in the way of my dreams and on June 1 he’s getting run the hell over.”
Matchroom Boxing chief Hearn is excited about Joshua following in some famous footsteps in fighting at Madison Square Garden, but knows Miller, as well as the change in scenery, offers a tough examination for Joshua to pass.
“It’s been an eventful few months but I’m delighted to finally announce that Anthony Joshua will make his American debut at the iconic Madison Square Garden on June 1,” said Hearn.
“AJ has created an incredible ‘Lion’s Den’ atmosphere in the UK and we plan to bring that energy to New York on a card that will be stacked with British vs. American talent. When you look at the heavyweight greats that have graced the renowned ‘Mecca of Boxing’ the names of Ali, Frazier, Marciano and Tyson stand firm and June 1 will be a moment when the World will witness AJ’s turn.
“Jarrell Miller is someone I know well having been involved in his last four fights in America. I know how much he wants this fight and I know the belief that him and his team have in beating AJ.
"He is a mountain of a man with an incredible work rate and he will get the chance to challenge for four World Heavyweight belts in his backyard this summer.
"They went to head to head for all the wrong reasons last Summer and next week they will do it again as we get ready for the big build up for a momentous moment on June 1st at MSG.”
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