Miller Dismisses Gassiev As Email Champion

Jarrell Miller has dismissed WBA heavyweight champion Murat Gassiev as an email champion and said he expects an easy night when they eventually fight.

Miller, ranked No. 1 by the WBA, told The Ring that Gassiev's cruiserweight past and thin heavyweight resume leave him unworried about a potential matchup. Gassiev was elevated to full WBA titleholder in June after Oleksandr Usyk vacated, but the sanctioning body announced Thursday that its super title will be contested between Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua on December 11 in Cardiff.

Miller On Gassiev's Heavyweight Credentials

The Brooklyn heavyweight pointed to Gassiev's time at cruiserweight — where he won IBF and WBA titles before losing to Usyk in a 2018 unification — as evidence he remains undersized. Since moving up in 2020, Gassiev has stopped Kem Ljungquist, Jeremiah Milton, Kubrat Pulev, and Peter Kadiru, but Miller sees little in that run to concern him. "There's nothing that I have to worry about with him," Miller said, per The Ring. "He's not a real heavyweight. To me, he's still a cruiserweight."

Miller added that his size and conditioning would overwhelm the Russian once they share a ring. "I'm a big guy and my gas tank is tremendous," he said. "Don't get me wrong, I'm not overlooking the guy. I don't overlook any fighter. But I just know when I'm at my best, these guys can't beat me, Gassiev included."

Gassiev has acknowledged talks between the two camps are ongoing. Miller is coming off a unanimous decision win over Lenier Pero in April, while Gassiev has won four straight by stoppage since his split decision loss to Otto Wallin in September 2023.

Source: ringmagazine.com