Jarrell Miller (26-1-2, 22 KOs) was disappointed with his loss to former heavyweight champion Andy Ruiz Jr. (35-2-1, 22 KOs) last Saturday night at BMO Stadium in Los Angeles.
Miller overcame a ponderous start in the first three rounds to wear down Ruiz with pressure and control in rounds 4 through 12. Judges scored the fight 116-112 in favor of Jarrell Miller, 114-114 and 114-114.
Miller questions assessment
After the fight, Miller complained about the California judges working the contest. He said he asked that none of them be from the state because Ruiz is from Southern California.
Miller kept the pressure on Ruiz, hitting him with combinations and seemingly controlling the rounds. Ruiz landed bigger, faster punches in the fight, but was exhausted in the second half and was unable to fight strenuous enough to win the rounds decisively.
Judges scored the fight a majority draw after 12 rounds, but fans on social media overwhelmingly felt Miller, 36, did enough to call it a victory. Ruiz showed his class after the fight, saying, “Let’s do it again. That was pretty grueling.”
His Excellency Turki Alalshikh would have to favor a rematch between the two super-sized heavyweights. He could also schedule both men to face other top fighters in the division. Ruiz’s popularity makes him a good dance partner in a fight with one of the stars in the division.
“We beat the guy in that fight, but we lost in his hometown. People see what’s going on and let’s get to the next fight,” Jarrell Miller said mediareflecting on his controversial fight with Andy Ruiz Jr. last Saturday night.
Miller could have helped himself win the fight if he had landed more punches. He took Ruiz down in multiple rounds but didn’t let go of his hands, like in the 2018 classic “Gigantic Baby.”
Miller appeared to be too tired to fight the full three minutes of each round in the second half. So instead of fighting, he tried to steal rounds in the final 10 seconds when he heard the clap.
“From the moment I signed the contract, I said, ‘I don’t want any California judges.’ I dug in and let my hands go as much as I could,” Miller said. “I started learning my up-to-date technique that Boots and Bozy used [Ennis] “that these guys are going there,” Miller continued.
Jarrell likely wouldn’t have won the fight if it had taken place in Nevada or elsewhere, as Ruiz landed the better punches and had impressive hand speed. Miller looked too tired to win the fight by decision.
“I’m not a whiny person, but sometimes they have to give you a break,” Miller said. Always something. At least eight or nine,” Miller said when asked how many rounds he thought he won against Ruiz. “When he had one good shot on me, I’d give it two or three.”
Miller was taking too many strenuous punches from Ruiz to win eight or nine rounds, which was a problem because he had the whole fight. Even in the 12th round, Ruiz was landing the kind of power punches that would have knocked out someone like Anthony Joshua. When judges see a fighter getting hammered like Miller, they don’t award rounds in their favor.
Weight loss and impact on performance
“I felt like the weight came off a little bit, I lost 40 pounds. I felt a little weaker as I went on. I was like, ‘You don’t have to knock everybody out, but hold off on the punches.’ Yeah, I felt like I knocked him out a few times,” Miller said when asked if he thought Ruiz came close to a knockout in the fight.
Miller is right about how the weight loss is affecting him. I thought the same thing, as he looked exhausted and less powerful than in his last fight, when he weighed in at 333 pounds against Daniel Dubois last December.
For anyone who has dropped 40 pounds, that takes a lot of power away from a person. Miller might be better off entering the fight at 333
“I thought Ruiz was going to quit a few times,” coach Derek “Bozy” Ennis said.
“I just couldn’t put the combinations together to double the punches. Andy broke his hand. It looked like his hand was broken,” Miller said of Ruiz.
In the eighth round, Ruiz looked discouraged and unhappy with the way the fight was going. Miller just kept coming forward and landing a lot of punches.
In a clash of forces between two world title contenders, NABO welterweight titleholder Alexis “Lex” Rocha (25-2-0, 16 KO) will put his skills to the test against undefeated knockout and NABF welterweight titleholder Raul “El Cugar “. Curiel (15-0, 13 KO).
The 10-round main event will take place on Saturday, December 14, live from the Toyota Arena in Ontario, California, and will be broadcast worldwide on DAZN.
“‘The best versus the best’ is Golden Boy’s mantra and that’s what fans will see as Rocha and Curiel take on everything that’s on the table,” said President and CEO Oscar De La Hoya. “Rocha is a veteran whose goal is to win the world title, Curiel is an undefeated blue-chip prospect with huge potential. It’s really a 50/50 fight and I’m looking forward to it.”
Tickets for the Rocha vs. match Curiel will go on sale on Friday, October 11 at 10 a.m. PT and will be priced at $100, $75, $50 and $25, excluding applicable service fees. A confined number of Golden Boy VIP Experience tickets will also be available, including exclusive merchandise and fight night upgrades. Standard and VIP tickets are available at Ticketmaster.com, Toyota-arena.com, Goldenboy.com or at the Toyota Arena box office from Monday to Friday from 12:00 to 16:00
“I’ve seen Raul Curiel all these years and he never once mentioned my name,” Alexis Rocha said. “After my last defeat, he suddenly became interested in fighting me. If he thinks I’ve lost a step or somehow had an simple fight, he’s in for a rude awakening. I can’t wait to make a statement and show the world what I’m capable of.”
Santa Ana, California Rep. Alexis “Lex” Rocha comes from a struggling family. The younger brother of Ronny Rios, he was the youngest fighter to win a gold medal at the Junior Olympics at the age of 14 in 2012 and caught the attention of the boxing world by becoming a six-time national champion during his amateur career. Rocha signed with Golden Boy in January 2016 and made his professional debut in March 2016, defeating Jordan Rosario at the Belasco Theater in Los Angeles. Since then, he has amassed an enviable record of powerful knockouts over top contenders and plans to return to world title contention, with his last fight being a victory over undefeated Santiago Dominguez on July 19 last year.
“The fans can expect a war,” said Raul Curiel. “I’m going to prepare well to put on a great show. This will be the most essential fight of my career so far. I know Alexis is a great fighter, a good opponent and will also show up prepared. My focus is on Alexis and if I can beat him, I know it will give me a chance to fight for the world championship.
Former unified lightweight champion George Kambosos approached promoter Eddie Hearn asking for more massive fights.
Kambosos has signed a co-promotional deal with Eddie Hearn, under which the Greek-Australian slugger will continue his association with DiBella Entertainment Inc. and his own company, Ferocious Promotions.
The 21-3 star will move up to the super lightweight division of Matchroom Boxing’s lively division. He aims to become a two-weight world champion in early 2025, and as part of the deal, a title fight is promised as long as he continues to win.
Since his stunning victory over Teofimo Lopez, Kambosos has never shied away from competing against the best. Those three losses on his resume came to Devin Haney [twice] and Vasily Lomachenko, all at home and all for world titles.
The 31-year-old is now set to face compatriot Liam Paro after defending his IBF title against Richardson Hitchins in December in Puerto Rico.
“I am thrilled to be working with Matchroom Boxing. I am excited to have signed a three-way promotional cooperation agreement with my long-time promoter DiBella Entertainment Inc. and Ferocious Promotions,” Kambosos said.
“I made great success and history when I moved up the Matchroom shows by winning my UK elimination fight against Lee Selby. The most noteworthy and unforgettable is my victory against Teofimo at Madison Square Garden in Up-to-date York to become the 135-pound world champion.
“I am officially announcing that I will be moving up to 140 pounds and signing with Matchroom will ensure my continued success and the legacy I want to leave in the sport of boxing.”
Hearn, who adds an experienced campaigner to his stable, added: “I am delighted to welcome George to the team. George’s victory over Teofimo tore up the script and showed that George was the man for the massive time. He has proven to be a huge attraction in Australia and one of the real driving forces behind the rapid growth of boxing Down Under.
“The 140-pound division is full of massive names and massive potential fights. Adding George to the mix only elevates the level, and a possible fight with Liam Paro is a truly appetizing prospect. If Liam manages to win in a great fight against Richardson on December 7th [the fight could be on].
Lou DiBella, who has worked with Kambosos for years, said: “I’m glad I was able to make a deal with my antique buddy Eddie to work with George Kambosos Jr. and Ferocious Promotions.
“Throughout his career, George has been a fighter who has never shied away from a challenge, and now he wants to test himself against top junior welterweights.
Matchroom works with top 140-pounders, including George’s compatriot Liam Paro, and, like DiBella Entertainment, is heavily invested in Australia.
“It’s a natural partnership,” added the Up-to-date Yorker.
One of the hottest topics surrounding Mike Tyson’s return at the age of 58 was the possibility of the boxing legend scoring a knockout of Jake Paul.
WBN has weighed in on this topic several times, questioning the validity of five-second training clips that revealed nothing about Tyson’s abilities at this overdue age. One of the most intriguing observations during the preparations was the opinion of UFC commentator Daniel Cormier.
Speaking on his show “Funky and the Champ,” Cormier reflected on Tyson’s social media videos and offered an informed opinion on the meaning of the clips.
“I understand that [he is in amazing shape at 58]and I understand what he is saying [he feels as though he can compete]– Cormier said. “And I agree that when he hits the pads with Rafael Cordeiro, it looks like there’s still something left in him.
“But then I watch Jake Paul fight Mike Perry. I saw Jake Paul get overwhelmed to the point where he started to feel uncomfortable. It looked like Mike Perry had a chance. But Jake has a reserve tank he can go to and benefit from because he’s 28 years ancient. Then he comes back and finally finishes Mike Perry.
“At the beginning of the fight, Mike Perry gets beaten up and dropped. He looks trained and unmatched. This worries me because what if it looks like a 58-year-old man fighting a 28-year-old man while Mike can’t employ the backup tank to stay and compete with this newborn kid? I think it’s a failure for Jake Paul because if you beat Mike Tyson, everyone will love him.
He added: “What if Mike knocks him out? It’s over. Everything is ready. This would be the backfire of all time. If he gets knocked out, nothing like that has ever happened in the history of the sport.”
Unfortunately for Tyson, this revenge backfired spectacularly, as the former heavyweight champion’s return was the only event that bombed. Tyson had nothing left twenty years after he had nothing left in his tank and no desire to box in his mind.
Paul parlayed this into a money-making scheme that would forever be a success for him and his company, but would be poorly received by the die-hard boxing fraternity.
Cormier’s words resonate, especially after what happened in the ring when Mike Tyson struggled to shift into first gear, warning former fighters thinking about returning after 50.
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