By: Sean Crose
Jarrell “Big Baby” Miller returned to the ring Saturday night after literally losing his hair (actually it was a wig) in his previous bout. The hard-hitting, colorful heavyweight was looking to rejuvenate his career as he neared 40. The New Yorker’s opponent was the undefeated Miami (by way of Cuba) based Lenier Pero. It was a very important night for both men. Miller of course was looking to keep in the public eye while hoping to once again establish himself as a top contender. For Pero it was the chance of a lifetime, a chance to announce his presence to the world.
The scheduled 12-round Vegas affair was the main event of a DAZN broadcast card. Fortunately, Miller had his head shaved so he had no worries of losing a hairpiece this fight. The bout did have entertainment value, however. This was a slow, thudding, grinding affair but it did not make for bad viewing. Miller spent much of the fight with his opponent on the robes. The two men traded leather for round after round. Miller appeared to be getting the better of it, but there was no doubt that Pero had his moments. He just didn’t have enough of them.
Although the fight was interesting, it was also quite dirty. There were numerous low blows along with moments of holding and hitting throughout the bout. The referee had to halt the proceeding several times. Both fighters received warnings on at least one occasion. Dirty or not however, Miller kept pushing forward throwing punches, punches which looked hard but were not able to introduce Piro to the mat. Ultimately, it came down to Miller coming across as too big, too strong and too experienced for his up-and-coming opponent. Without doubt, the experience will be good for Piro to learn from.
Suffice to say, Miller won a fear unanimous decision. The truth is he looked good. The question is did he look good enough to face some of the division’s younger guns, or some of the division’s old lions like Usyk, Fury and Wilder? Frankly, it remains to be seen, but the New Yorker did show that he was levels above some of his peers on Saturday. It was an important moment for the fighter, especially considering the fact that he is clearly looking to reestablish himself at heavyweight. He may not have gotten the knockout he truly wanted, but Miller still delivered effectively in the ring.
One thing that was striking about this fight was the fact that it was the kind of throwdown one would frequently see on cable television over 30 years ago. There was no enormous crowd. There was no large amount of pre-fight hype walking in. It was just a solid, entertaining, mid-level affair… the kind that used to be the bedrock of boxing when it was one of the more popular sports in America. Perhaps that’s something the sport’s big players can focus on behind the scenes… returning the sport to its organic roots.
Boxing ultimately doesn’t need an insane number of big fights and expensive pay-per-view events. What boxing needs is good fighters, good fights, and clear goals for the fighters involved. Miller may never win a world title, but his determination to get one makes for good viewing. This is especially true in Miller’s case, as he’s had a bit of a sketchy past. The one thing fight fans like better than smack talk is to see a fighter redeem himself or herself in the ring. In the end it wasn’t a great night of boxing on Saturday, but it was a good one and that’s what the sport needs right now…solid, mid-level throwdowns.
