Joshua responds to Miller over drug use claims

Anthony Joshua has replied to Jarrell Miller’s accusations of drug use. The claims were made by Miller ahead of his championship bout with Joshua on June 1 in New York without any evidence of the use of performance-enhancing drugs.

Miller himself was previously slapped with a nine-month ban from combat sports in 2014 after he tested positive for dimethylamylamine, which is a banned substance. The 30-year-old claims to now be clean and he believes that Joshua has not always been this way.

Both fighters head into the fight unbeaten and as two of the biggest heavyweight fighters in combat sports. This match could possibly be one of the toughest which Joshua has faced in his career. He is also set to fight away from home at Madison Square Garden, where it is likely that most people in the crowd will be supporting Miller.  Miller at 22st 7lb is one of the toughest heavyweight boxers in the world.

Miller said, as reported by The Guardian: “I study every opponent. My dad was a bodybuilder growing up; you can see it. I look at someone and I say, he’s on steroids. Anybody who comes out of the amateurs at 220lbs and then is 240lbs in a year, there’s something wrong with that picture.

“There’s no way you’re going to put on 20lbs of muscle within a year without taking some kind of supplement. It’s impossible. I know bodybuilders train all year round, non-stop, and don’t put on that amount of muscle.

“Now, if you look at his stature, while he’s staying at this higher level, his physique has kinda shrunk.”

“That’s a compliment,” Joshua responded, “because, if I was, I would not even be able to fit in this shirt. I dedicate myself to training, which you can see. I have applied myself properly and they are the results. I have been training since I was 18, so that’s 11 years.

“He’s looking at my change between 2012 and 2013, but why doesn’t he look at the 11 years? At the [London] Olympics I was around 104kg. Then, when I turned pro, I was around 107kg. Now I am 115kg, so that’s 11kg in 11 years, it averages out. It’s just my dedication. I wouldn’t recommend it to everyone because it’s expensive, especially the food I drink and the lifestyle and training.

“It’s not the first time this has happened, Wladimir Klitschko [who Joshua beat in 2017] was accused of it. So, many fighters will be accused. But I get tested and, if, in the next 10 years, something was to come up then it would be a genuine mistake because I do not shove needles up my arse.”

The two boxers faced off, eye-to-eye for the first time in New York last week, where Miller pushed Joshua to ignite a brief melee between the pair. Joshua however remained calm as ever, in order to do his talking in the ring later this year.

Featured Image: “Anthony Joshua in action with Wladimir K” (CC BY 2.0) by quapan