Surgeon Joshua vows to reconstruct Miller's face in New York

FILE PHOTO: Boxing - Anthony Joshua & Jarrell Miller Press Conference - Hilton London Syon Park, London, Britain - February 25, 2019 Anthony Joshua and promoter Eddie Hearn during the press conference Action Images via Reuters/Andrew Couldridge

LONDON (Reuters) - Heavyweight world champion Anthony Joshua warned American challenger Jarrell 'Big Baby' Miller on Monday that he would strip him of his soul and reconstruct his face at Madison Square Garden on June 1.

The fight in New York will be WBA, IBF, WBO and IBO champion Joshua's U.S. debut.

Boxing - Anthony Joshua & Jarrell Miller Press Conference - Hilton London Syon Park, London, Britain - February 25, 2019 Anthony Joshua during the press conference Action Images via Reuters/Andrew Couldridge

Coming face to face at a news conference amid tight security at a plush West London hotel, the usually calm Joshua was riled when Miller suggested the Briton was 'too posh', chinless and with his nose in the air.

"Come June 2 and Jarrell will be irrelevant," said the 29-year-old, who has a record of 22 undefeated professional fights, 21 of them by knockout and who told reporters he had 10 more years ahead of him.

"I don't know football, rugby, NFL, basketball or kick-boxing. I know how to knock people out and beat them up," added the 2012 Olympic super-heavyweight champion, in a dig at Miller's kick-boxing past.

Boxing - Anthony Joshua & Jarrell Miller Press Conference - Hilton London Syon Park, London, Britain - February 25, 2019 Jarrell Miller during the press conference Action Images via Reuters/Andrew Couldridge

Joshua said a knockout 'needs to happen' to announce his presence in the United States.

Monday's news conference came after a similar one in New York last week that ended in pushing and shoving between the two fighters.

If the physicality was missing in London, there were still plenty of barbs, delivered with a strong sense of theatre but no real menace.

Boxing - Anthony Joshua & Jarrell Miller Press Conference - Hilton London Syon Park, London, Britain - February 25, 2019 Joe Markowski, trainer Robert McCracken, Anthony Joshua, promoter Eddie Hearn, Adam Smith, promoter Dmitry Salita, Jarrell Miller and Sarah Fina during the press conference Action Images via Reuters/Andrew Couldridge

"All that spirit that this boy's got in there... I'm going to strip it from him... I'm going to strip him of his soul in that ring. I'm going to reconstruct his face and his body on June 1. I'm looking forward to it," said Joshua.

"I'm going to be your surgeon."

Miller, also undefeated and with a record of 24 fights (23 wins and a draw), said he planned to stop Joshua in seven rounds.

Boxing - Anthony Joshua & Jarrell Miller Press Conference - Hilton London Syon Park, London, Britain - February 25, 2019 Anthony Joshua after the press conference Action Images via Reuters/Andrew Couldridge

The American, pretending to snore at one point as Joshua talked about his past from teenage streetfighter to world champion, said all he had heard since arriving in London was talk of Tyson Fury.

Fury and promoter Frank Warren this month signed a deal with Bob Arum's Top Rank Promotions, which has a multi-year contract with ESPN, that will see former world champion Fury fight a minimum of two bouts per year in the United States.

"He's not the powerful one, no more. I come to the UK and I hear Tyson Fury, Tyson Fury," said Miller. "He (Joshua) is a sucker, bro... he's not ready for me."

(Reporting by Alan Baldwin, editing by Christian Radnedge)