Promising, unbeaten, power-punching heavyweight Jarrell “ Big Baby” Miller and undefeated welterweight knockout artist Bakhtiyar Eyubov participated in a workout Tuesday at Mendez Boxing in Manhattan, N.Y.
Miller and Eyubov, who both fight out of Brooklyn, N.Y., will be featured in two of the three fights of a ShoBox: The New Generation tripleheader on Friday, Aug. 19, live on from the outdoor soccer venue at Rhinos Stadium in Rochester, N.Y.
The confident, fast-talking Miller (17-0-1, 15 KOs), a consensus top 15 heavyweight, will take on the experienced Fred Kassi (18-5-1, 10 KOs), of New Orleans, La. in the 10-round main event. Eyubov (10-0, 10 KOs), a native of Kazakhstan, will be opposed by veteran Karim Mayfield (19-3-1, 11 KOs), of San Francisco, Calif. in a 10-rounder that will open the telecast. Undefeated bantamweight prospects, world-ranked Nikolay Potapov (14-0-1, 6 KOs), of Potolsk, Russia, and Antonio Nieves (16-0-1, 8 KOs), of Cleveland, Ohio square off in the 10-round co-feature.
JARRELL “BIG BABY” MILLER
On Training Camp…
“Training camp is going real well. I put on a lot of muscle for this camp, I’m going to put on a lot of solid mass, I am going to go in there and manhandle it. Like a chew toy in a dog’s mouth, I want to mangle it.
“I’m really committed to this training camp. I’ve made some changes: less cheeseburgers. I cut down from three cheeseburgers to one cheeseburger a day. Same thing, in the gym every day, not doing anything different. My main thing is my strength and my speed and we are going to see, come Aug. 19.”
On His Opponent, Fred Kassi…
“Supposedly Fred Kassi is the most durable guy I have fought in my whole entire boxing career. This is what they are saying and I tip my hat off to the guy; he’s been in some fights where I thought he won and he ended up on the wrong side of the decision. When he fought other fighters, he had three weeks training camp, two weeks’ notice. He had two months to get ready for this. I’m not a last-minute opponent. He’s going to come in ready and I’m not about to underestimate him.
“I’m a boxer-puncher and he’s more one-dimensional. He switches back and forth, he’s not pretty at what he does, but no worries, you can look at me, because I am nice at what I do.
I predict a fifth-sixth round knockout. Kassi is definitely a doable guy, but I feel once he sees my size and my pressure and the speed that I bring with my footwork – it’s going to be game over for him. I know for a fact I’m going to knock out Fred Kassi, fifth or sixth round. That’s what I do, I take your heart, I take your soul, I take your ribs.”
On Deontay Wilder…
“Wilder is a wild man when he gets in that ring, but at the same time if you watch how he performs, he performs at a mediocre level against mediocre fighters. If you stick him to a world professional athlete, like myself or top guys, you’ll see him bring even more. Not saying he hasn’t been in the ring with A+ fighters yet, but you can see all his loopholes in his fighting style. It’s just a matter of time before he gets really exposed and I hope it is with me because I want that behind.
“Shorter fighters do what they do, taller fighters do what they do. Deontay is tall but he doesn’t do what his body is designed to do; he’s trying to do something that smaller guys do, so that is going to be his downfall. Like I said, it is just a matter of time and I am going to break him in half, him and his toothpick legs.
“I was watching the livestream of the Wilder-Arreola fight and it was horrible. It was horrible because he is the heavyweight champion of the world. He doesn’t understand that he is doing more damage to himself than he thinks he is. He’s getting hurt. He’s getting hit. He’s taking some punishment.
“I want to fight Wilder. If he sees my style, if he sees my footwork, he’ll realize I’m no Artur Szpilka or Chris Arreola. And when I get in there, well, most of my fights end up in knockouts. I’m 100 percent power. Once I touch them, they are getting hurt.”
On Anthony Joshua…
“Joshua is overrated, overhyped. I am going to break that jaw of his. Definitely one of the weakest of the heavyweight champs.
“It comes down to the basics. You have a lot of guys that have a lot of punching power and basic skills and that’s not enough. Joshua is a basic heavyweight, a one-two fighter. I could cut that half way across the ring.
“I’d fight Joshua when the timing is right. I personally don’t want to go and fight Joshua just because I’m his ‘next.’ I think that when the time is right, it’ll be me and him at the MGM Grand on pay-per-view. One of those super sweepstakes fights, you know.”
On Tyson Fury…
“I like Tyson Fury, I still want to break his fingers in half but he is good for the sport of boxing and I feel like me and him for a main event will sell any arena out. He talks a lot of smack and he does back it up, but he is still a jokester and I am real. I will smash him if he tries to step on me in the press conference. I will knock him out, same way I will for everyone else.
“A fight between us two will be like Comedy Central on steroids, it would be bananas. It would sell out kind of like a Mayweather-Pacquiao … I feel like we can capture the heavyweight division and put it back on the map, just because of the way he talks. As an American heavyweight I feel like we have to take over American soil first. I’ll fight anywhere and anytime, but on the business side, I have to take over my country first.”
On the Heavyweight Division…
“They better get motivated now because I’m coming. I’m hungry and I’m motivated. SHOWTIME is having me on the main event on national television. I’m telling you I’m coming, and I’m coming to stay. They better get ready.
“I’m different to all the heavyweights out there. I’m not chasing a pay day. I’m chasing a legacy. I’m trying to change the layout. I’m trying to change the game. I’m trying to change my future and make history at the same time.”
BAKHTIYAR EYUBOV
“I have had hard training camps before, but this is up there. It’s one of the most intense camps I’ve ever had. I know that people expect me to deliver another knockout, but I’m training to go the distance. I’m scheduled to go 10 rounds and I am preparing myself as best as I can.
“My opponent is an experienced and tough fighter. Perhaps my toughest test to date. I’m confident in my skills. He can run, but he can’t hide. There are only four corners, I’ll find him and I’ll do what I came here to do: win.”
DMITRIY SALITA
“It is a great honor to be able to promote a show on SHOWTIME and both of these fighters. Miller and Eyubov are both willing to show that they are some of the best in their respective divisions.
“It is going to be a great event, happening at a special venue in Rochester at the soccer stadium, outside in the summer time. The show has all the ingredients to be a key event of the summer.”
