Jarrell Miller

Jarrell Miller (born July 15, 1988) is an American kickboxer and undefeated boxer who competes in the heavyweight division. Known for his aggressive fighting style, Miller initially began training in Muay Thai as a way to defend himself on the streets. He came to prominence in 2007 when he competed for the New Jersey Tigers in the World Combat League and made it to the finals of the New York Golden Gloves tournament that same year. In 2012, he began fighting in K-1.

Early life

Miller was born and raised in Brooklyn, New York, and is of Caribbean and Latin American descent. He took up Muay Thai as a way to defend himself after being attacked on the street.^[1] He began Muay Thai at age of 14 and boxing at 16.

Professional boxing career

As an amateur boxer, Miller reached the final of the 2007 New York Golden Gloves Heavyweight tournament at the Madison Square Garden in New York, where he lost to Tor Hamer on points (4-1).^[2]

Early career

Miller made his professional boxing debut at the age of 21 on July 18, 2009 at the Plattduetsche Park Restaurant, in Franklin Square, New York. His opponent was an inexperienced 36-year-old Darius Whitson in a scheduled 4-round bout. Miller won the fight via a first round technical knockout. After a 22-month break from boxing, in May 2011, Miller defeated Isaac Villanueva via third-round TKO at the Roseland Ballroom in New York.

Miller took another gap from boxing for 11 months, returning to the ring in April 2012 at the Cordon Bleu in Woodhaven, New York against American boxer Donnie Crawford, stopping him 2 minutes and 38 seconds of round one. In December of that year, Miller defeated 36-year-old Tyrone Gibson at the Roseland Ballroom.

On January 19, 2013, Miller was in a scheduled 4-round bout against 22-year-old up-and-comer Joey Dawejko (7-1-1, 3 KOs) at the Mohegan Sun Casino in Uncasville, Connecticut.^[3] The fight went the full 4 rounds as was ruled as a draw on all scorecards (37-37, 3 times). Miller was deducted 2 points for pushing. Had he not been deducted the points, he would have retained his 100% record.

In September 2013, Miller defeated Tobias Rice, when Rice failed to come out for round 3. Two months later, Miller knocked out 34-year-old Willie Chisolm in 2 rounds. In December, Miller fought 39-year-old southpaw Sylvester Barron (8-2, 3 KOs). Miller outclassed Barron in the scheduled 6-round fight, knocking him down once in round 1 and again in round before referee Benjy Esteves Jr. stopped the fight.^[4]

In January 2014, Miller fought at the Harrah's Philadelphia in Chester, Pennsylvania against Jon Hill (6-4, 5 KOs), winning the fight via technical knockout in round 4.

On May 5, Miller fought at the Millenium Theater in Brighton Beach, New York against Joshua Harris, who was a last-minute replacement moving up from cruiserweight. Miller, who weighed in 50 pounds heavier, knocked out and stopped Harris inside 2 rounds. Miller was originally scheduled to fight Vincent Thompson, who had been arrested before the event for his role in six armed bank robberies.^[5] This win ensured Miller would qualify for a vacant ten-round New York State Heavyweight title showdown against Derric Rossy.

Miller next fought in November against Rodricka Ray in a scheduled 6-round fight. Miller won via uninamous decision with the judges scoring in his favor 60-54, 59-55 (twice). On January 1, 2015, Miller fought in California for the first time since turning professional. His opponent was 35-year-old Aaron Kinch. The fight went a full 6 rounds as Miller won a shut out decision (60-54, 60-54, 60-53).^[6]

Raymond Ochieng (26-18-3, 21 KOs) called out Miller following his win over David Rodriguez in 2014. Miller accepted and they faced off in April 2015; Miller won via first round TKO.^[7] Miller next had a scheduled fight on June 4 against 41-year-old Damon McCreary (15-4, 11 KOs).^[8] Miller won the bout via 2nd round stoppage after Miller gave McCreary a beating, until he slumped through the bottom ropes, falling through helpless and defenseless in a sitting position.^[9] Miller had two more bouts in 2015, finishing the year strong, stopping Excell Holmes and Akhror Muralimov inside the distance.

Moving up the ranks

Miller vs. Dennis

Miller had his first fight of 2016 on January 23 at the Casino Del Sol in Tucson, Arizona for the interim WBA-NABA heavyweight title against Donovan Dennis (12-2, 10 KOs). Miller defeated Dennis when the fight was called by the referee at 2:31 of the 7th round. In the post-fight interview, Miller called out then IBF champion Charles Martin, WBC champion Deontay Wilder, Unified world champion Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua.^[10] Miller took full distinction as NABA champion on February 1, after Shannon Briggs was stripped of the title.

Miller vs. Guivas

It was announced that Miller, who was now ranked WBO #11, WBA #12 and IBF #15, would next fight on May 27, at the Seneca Niagara Resort & Casino in Niagara Falls, New York against Nick Guivas (12-3-2, 9 KOs) for the vacant WBO NABO Heavyweight title, previously held by Charles Martin.^[11] Miller kept his unbeaten run intact as he stopped the over-matched Guivas in a 2nd round knockout. Miller used power shots to the body of Guivas to knock him down four times in the fight, with two of the knockdowns coming in the 1st round. Referee Dick Pakozdi stopped the fight officially at 1:26 of the 2nd round with Miller claiming the vacant title. In the post-fight interview, Miller again called out top heavyweights Klitschko, Fury, Joshua and Wilder.^[12]

Miller vs. Kassi

Salita Promotions announced that Miller would be fighting on the main event of ShoBox: The New Generation on August 19 at the outdoor Rhinos Stadium in Rochester, New York. His opponent would be his toughest test to date, seasoned veteran Fred Kassi (18-5-1, 10 KOs). Miller, determined to stop Kassi inside the distance, said, "I'm ready to put his lights out like I do everybody else. I know he's durable and a little older than me. He's a tough guy and he can take a beating. So far, he's only been stopped once. I'll be the second."^[13]

Kickboxing career

His break-out performances as a kickboxer came while representing the New Jersey Tigers in the World Combat League in the 2007-08 season. On May 3, 2008, he defeated K-1 veteran Pat Barry at the WCL Eastern & Western Conference Finals in San Antonio, Texas, the biggest feat of his career at that point.^[14]

Following the WCL's demise, Miller went on to rack up a 19-0 (8 KOs) record on New York's heavyweight Muay Thai scene while also turning professional as a boxer.^[15][16] His exploits earned him admirers, and in 2012, he was recruited by K-1, historically the world's premier kickboxing organization.^[17] In his promotional debut, he went up against mixed martial arts knockout artist Jack May at the K-1 World Grand Prix 2012 in Los Angeles on September 8, 2012 with a place at the 2012 K-1 World Grand Prix at stake.^[18][19] Miller was able to knock May out with an uppercut in the first round to advance to the K-1 World Grand Prix 2012 in Tokyo Final 16 on October 14, 2012 where he was drawn against Arnold Oborotov.^[20][21] Although Oborotov caused some problems with his low kicks, Miller was able to dominate with his superior boxing ability. He cruised to a unanimous decision win after sending the Lithuanian to the canvas in round one.^[22]

At the K-1 World Grand Prix 2012 Final on March 15, 2013 in Zagreb, Croatia, he was drawn against the legendary Mirko "Cro Cop" Filipović in the quarter-finals.^[23] The panel of judges scored the bout for Filipović by unanimous decision, handing Miller his first professional loss and sending him out of the tournament.^[24][25]

He signed with SUPERKOMBAT in August 2013.^[26]

Replacing Sergei Kharitonov who withdrew from the fight due to a finger injury,^[27] Miller rematched Mirko Cro Cop at Glory 17: Los Angeles in Inglewood, California on June 21, 2014.^[28] He lost by unanimous decision.^[29][30][31]

Professional boxing record

18 fights, 17 wins (15 knockouts), 0 losses (0 knockouts), 1 draw[32]
No.	Result	Record	Opponent	Type	Round, time	Date	Location	Notes
19	Win	18–0–1	Fred Kassi	RTD	3 (10), 3:00	19 Aug 2016	Rhinos Stadium, Rochester, New York	Retained WBO NABO heavyweight title
18	Win	17–0–1	Nick Guivas	TKO	2 (10), 1:26	27 May 2016	Seneca Niagara Resort Casino, Niagara Fall, New York	Won vacant WBO NABO heavyweight title
17	Win	16–0–1	Donovan Dennis	TKO	7 (10), 2:31	22 Jan 2016	Grand Casino, Tucson, Arizona	Won interim WBA-NABA heavyweight title
16	Win	15–0–1	Akhror Muralimov	KO	3 (8), 1:03	23 Oct 2015	Celebrity Theatre, Phoenix, Arizona
15	Win	14–0–1	Excell Holmes	TKO	1 (6), 2:44	26 Jun 2015	Seneca Niagara Casino & Hotel, Niagara Falls, New York
14	Win	13–0–1	Damon McCreary	TKO	2 (8), 1:08	04 Jun 2015	Paramount Theatre, New York City, New York
13	Win	12–0–1	Raymond Ochieng	TKO	1 (6), 1:40	17 Apr 2015	Grand Casino, Hinckley, Minnesota
12	Win	11–0–1	Aaron Kinch	UD	6	09 Jan 2015	Chumash Casino, Santa Ynez, California
11	Win	10–0–1	Rodricka Ray	UD	6	13 Nov 2014	The Space at Westbury, New York City, New York
10	Win	9–0–1	Joshua Harris	TKO	2 (6), 1:53	15 May 2014	Millenium Theater, New York City, New York
9	Win	8–0–1	Jon Hill	TKO	3 (6), 2:38	31 Jan 2014	Harrah's Philadelphia, Chester, Pennsylvania
8	Win	7–0–1	Sylvester Barron	TKO	2 (6), 2:20	18 Dec 2013	Webster Hall, New York City, New York
7	Win	6–0–1	Willie Chisolm	TKO	2 (6), 0:52	07 Nov 2013	Martin's Valley Mansion, Cockeysville, Maryland
6	Win	5–0–1	Tobias Rice	RTD	2 (4), 3:00	25 Sep 2013	Five Starr Banquet, New York City, New York
5	Draw	4–0–1	Joey Dawejko	PTS	4	19 Jan 2013	Mohegan Sun Casino, Uncasville, Connecticut
4	Win	4–0	Tyrone Gibson	TKO	2 (4), 1:25	19 Dec 2012	Roseland Ballroom, New York City, New York
3	Win	3–0	Donnie Crawford	TKO	1 (4), 2:38	21 Apr 2012	Cordon Bleu, New York City, New York
2	Win	2–0	Isaac Villanueva	TKO	3 (4), 1:53	19 May 2011	Roseland Ballroom, New York City, New York
1	Win	1–0	Darius Whitson	TKO	1 (4), 3:00	18 Jul 2009	Plattduetsche Park Restaurant, New York City, New York	Professional debut

Kickboxing record (incomplete)

21 wins (9 KOs), 2 losses, 0 draws
Date	Result	Opponent	Event	Location	Method	Round	Time	Record
2014-06-21	Loss	Mirko Filipović	Glory 17: Los Angeles	Inglewood, California, USA	Decision (Unanimous)	3	3:00	21-2
2013-03-15	Loss	Mirko Filipović	K-1 World Grand Prix 2012 Final, Quarter Finals	Zagreb, Croatia	Decision (Unanimous)	3	3:00	21-1
2012-10-14	Win	Arnold Oborotov	K-1 World Grand Prix 2012 in Tokyo Final 16, First Round	Tokyo, Japan	Decision (Unanimous)	3	3:00	21-0
2012-09-08	Win	Jack May	K-1 World Grand Prix 2012 in Los Angeles	Los Angeles, California, USA	KO (Right Uppercut)	1	2:42	20-0
Qualifies for the K-1 World Grand Prix 2012 in Tokyo Final 16.
2011-09-16	Win	Radu Spinghel	Friday Night Fights Muay Thai	New York City, New York, USA	TKO (Doctor Stoppage)	1	2:09	19-0

Amateur kickboxing record
Date	Result	Opponent	Event	Location	Method	Round	Time
2008-00-00	Win	Alex Beck	WCL Turf Wars	Tulsa, Oklahoma, USA	Decision (16–3)	1	3:00
2008-05-03	Win	Pat Barry	WCL Eastern & Western Conference Finals	San Antonio, Texas, USA	Decision (14–12)	1	3:00
2006-03-11	Win	Michael Manousakakis	Fighting for a good cause	New York City, New York, USA	Decision (Split)	N/A	N/A
2006-01-27	Win	Jim Smith	Ring of Combat	New York City, New York, USA	Decision (Split)	N/A	N/A

Legend:   Win   Loss   Draw/No contest   Notes

Championships and awards

Boxing

• New York Golden Gloves
  • 2007 New York Golden Gloves Heavyweight Runner-up

References

External links

• Official K-1 profile
• Professional boxing record for Jarrell Miller from BoxRec