Anthony Joshua's team have begun searching for a new opponent after American Jarrell Miller recorded an “adverse finding” in a drugs test ahead of their fight in New York.
The June 1 date against Miller is now in serious jeopardy after a banned substance appeared in a sample given by the boxer to the Voluntary Anti- Doping Association (VADA).
World heavyweight champion Joshua’s promoter, Eddie Hearn, said the search for a replacement had already started.
Miller is highly likely to be refused a licence to box by the New York State Athletic Commission if his B sample comes back positive.
Hearn has a potential list of stand-in opponents, including Cuban veteran Luis Ortiz, Polish-American Adam Kownacki, Bulgarian Kubrat Pulev, Germany’s Mahmoud Charr and the lesser-known US heavyweight Michael Hunter.
Around 17,000 tickets for the event have already been sold, with an expected 10,000 supporters planning to travel to support WBA, IBF, WBO and IBO champion Joshua on his debut fight in America.
What is GW1516?
Also known as cardarine or endurobol, the drug was developed in the 1990s to treat metabolic and cardiovascular diseases.
Was found to improve physical performance but testing showed it caused cancer growth. Further development was abandoned in 2007.
Hearn said: “Any failed VADA test makes the Miller fight very doubtful. They have reported their findings to the New York State Athletic Commission, who are very, very strict.
“I believe the Commission will request a second sample, which will take a few days. They will then decide whether or not to license him.
“All we can do for now is cast out the net for a replacement opponent while we wait to see what happens. Until we get the ruling, we can’t move, other than to make preparations.
“Either the second sample is going to have to be clear or Miller and his team will have to have a very good reason to say why the test might be wrong.”
New Yorker Miller served a nine-month ban from kick-boxing after he tested positive for a banned substance in California in 2014.
The substance found in the latest VADA test taken on March 20 — GW1516 — is said to increase aerobic power and endurance for the obese to help with training and weight loss.
Miller is known for his extraordinary physique, which is much broader than most heavyweight boxers. The 30-year-old, who is 6ft 4ins, weighed 315lbs for his most recent fight, against Bogdan Dinu in Kansas last November.
Miller’s co-promoter Dmitriy Salita said: “We are in the process of obtaining further information about VADA’s finding and will have more to say soon on this developing situation. In the meantime, Jarrell continues to train.”
Ironically, the brash and outspoken Miller — known as Big Baby — accused 29-year-old Londoner Joshua of being “not clean” during a heated press conference in New York in February.
Joshua and Hearn dealt with a similar crisis when Bulgarian Pulev withdrew with injury nine days before a planned fight at Cardiff’s Principality Stadium in October, 2017. More than 70,000 tickets had been sold and Frenchman Carlos Takam was drafted in as an emergency replacement.
VADA testing is paid for by Joshua’s promotional team for both boxers, with the Londoner insistent that any opponent takes part in testing 14 weeks before a fight date.
Hearn added: “I was informed about this at 10pm on Tuesday. When I told AJ, he said, ‘You dealt with the Pulev situation, so I’m sure you’ll get us through this’.
“This is why we insist on VADA testing. If this guy was still in there banging away after 10, 11 rounds it could be dangerous.
“AJ is currently being tested three times a week — twice by VADA and once by UK anti-doping.”
Joshua had staged just two sparring sessions aimed at preparing for Miller’s unique physical stature. He will head to training camp in Florida in early May.
Hearn added: “It is not ideal but he still has seven weeks to prepare if there is a new opponent. AJ wants to make a big impact on his debut in America, which is why Miller was an ideal opponent.”
Among the potential fresh opponents, Ortiz is a 40-year-old who was stopped by Deontay Wilder in the 10th round after a gruelling battle in New York in March last year for the WBC heavyweight title.
