Jarrell “Big Baby” Miller has withdrawn from his 7 June heavyweight meeting with unbeaten Fabio Wardley at Ipswich’s Portman Road, citing a shoulder injury sustained in sparring. Queensberry Promotions confirmed the pull-out; within hours matchmaker talks had begun, with Justis Huni, Michael Hunter and Filip Hrgović emerging as leading replacement options, Huni reportedly at the front of the queue.
The bout was to headline Wardley’s home-town stadium show and was expected to carry an interim WBA trinket, a carrot that had Miller predicting he would “f*** Wardley up real bad.” Instead the 36-year-old American - already two fights without a win - now faces another spell on the sidelines at a stage when big-pay opportunities are scarce. Wardley remains on the card; promoters say a new opponent will be announced within 48 hours to preserve the date and local ticket demand.
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Portman Road’s undercard is unchanged for now, with heavyweight prospect Moses Itauma and cruiserweight British champion Cheavon Clarke scheduled to appear. For Wardley the priority is salvaging momentum and retaining a summer platform that could nudge him toward the winner of July’s Usyk-Dubois undisputed rematch. As for Miller, a second high-profile withdrawal, this time injury rather than a banned substance, leaves his comeback story hanging by a thread less than five weeks before the bell was due to ring.
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