The ink had hardly dried on Katie Taylor’s bout agreement when the June 1 main event was plunged into jeopardy.
Taylor’s clash with WBC champion Delfine Persoon, which will crown the undisputed queen of the lightweight division, was scheduled to act as the chief support for Anthony Joshua’s upcoming title defence against Jarrell Miller in Madison Square Garden.
But less than 24 hours after Taylor vs. Persoon was made official, the headline bout fell into doubt due to Miller reportedly testing positive for a banned substance.
Miller’s team is currently seeking more information from the Voluntary Anti-Doping Association and the unbeaten New Yorker’s B sample will be tested before a decision is made.
If Miller is not licensed to fight on June 1, it leaves Matchroom Boxing boss Eddie Hearn with his work cut out for him to find a replacement to fight one of the pound-for-pound best fighters in the world on just six weeks’ notice.
We have been informed by VADA that there has been an adverse finding in Jarrell Miller’s sample collected on March 20th, 2019. We are working with all relevant parties and will update with more details soon. AJ’s preparation continues for June 1st at MSG.
— Eddie Hearn (@EddieHearn) April 17, 2019
Given the promotional dollars that Hearn and DAZN have pumped into Joshua’s US debut, postponing the clash with Miller for later this year would be a far-from-ideal option.
A postponement would also force Taylor to find a new date for her unification clash but, fortunately, that won’t be necessary.
Hearn has promised that Joshua will be fighting on June 1 in New York City, which means that Taylor vs. Persoon is not in danger.
“I spoke to ‘AJ’ last night. It’s not an ideal situation and we have to wait and see what happens with Jarrell,” Hearn told the Daily Mail.
“If he is unable to fight, ‘AJ’ will still be fighting June 1 in Madison Square Garden.
“He has told me he will fight absolutely anyone and so we are looking at our options right now.”
