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Jarrell Big Baby Miller reveals he is one-quarter Irish


Jarrell Miller is the latest top heavyweight to reveal that he has an Irish grandparent

The giant-sized American is in London to take in the Dillian Whyte v Dereck Chisora rematch on Saturday night and ‘Big Baby’ has explained how his grandfather was born in Ireland.

Miller, born in Brooklyn, had a globe-trotting childhood, spending time in the U.S., Canada, and Belize.

A multi-ethnic fighter, the title contender outlined to Boxing Social how “my grandfather on my mother’s side is Irish, a white guy!”

“An Irish dude, he was a truck driver in Belize as well.”

“My father is Haitian with Dominican descent as well.”

“I grew up in Belize for the first part of my adolescent years then I moved to Canada, British Colombia, for two years – and then I moved back to Brooklyn and been there ever since.”

How Miller’s grandfather ended up in Belize was not made clear – although the small Central American nation formerly saw its entire annual banana crop bought and distributed by Irish company Fyffes and this could perhaps explain the link.

#7 Miller makes it four out of the TRBR Heavyweight Top Ten with direct Irish blood and eligible for citizenship should he so choose.

#4 Dillian Whyte‘s paternal grandfather was from Cork and the Jamaican-born boxer has previously expressed his desire to take out citizenship as well as wearing green shorts in a nod to his heritage.

Then there is IBF-WBA-WBO champion and TRBR #1 Anthony Joshua whose paternal grandmother is also Irish. She emigrated to Nigeria where she met his grandfather, with both parents then moving to London decades later.

Then there is #2 Tyson Fury, the undefeated former unified beltholder, who some still claim is the lineal champion although this is disputed.

Fury’s father hails from Galway, his mother from Antrim, and the Manchester-born man both boxed for Ireland as an amateur and won the Irish heavyweight title.

Additionally, from the heavyweight Top 10, former WBO champion Joseph Parker of New Zealand is promoted by David Higgins – who spent a portion of his childhood living in Clare, the birthplace of his mother

30-year-old Miller [23(20)-0-1] has been very busy of late, linking up with Eddie Hearn’s Matchroom Promotions and is a prominent player on the emerging DAZN platform stateside.

The New Yorker – who is seen as the Joshua’s introductory opponent to the U.S. market – recently racked up early stoppages against Tomasz Adamek and Bogdan Dinu and is due to return to the ring on January 18th against a to-be-confirmed foe.

Watch Rob Tebbutt’s interview with Jarrell Miller below:

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Joe O'Neill

Reporting on Irish boxing the past five years. Work has appeared on irish-boxing.com, Boxing News, the42.ie, and local and national media. Provide live ringside updates, occasional interviews, and special features on the future of Irish boxing. email: joneill6@tcd.ie

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