JARRELL “Big Baby” Miller was involved in one of the more unusual moments in recent boxing history Saturday night when his hairpiece was dislodged during his heavyweight victory over Kingsley Ibeh on the undercard of the Teófimo López–Shakur Stevenson card at Madison Square Garden.
The incident occurred late in the second round as Ibeh landed a flurry of punches along the ropes. One shot snapped Miller’s head backward and caused his hairpiece to lift from the front, exposing his bald patch before the wig folded backward. The incident drew gasps and laughter from the crowd.
Miller finished the round with the hairpiece still partially attached. Between rounds, he removed it completely and tossed it into the crowd before returning to the fight.
Miller went on to win the fight on a narrow split decision. After his victory was announced, he rubbed the top of his head while celebrating in the ring.
Speaking afterward, Miller joked that he had lost much of his hair only days earlier after mistakenly using “ammonia bleach” he said he found at his mother’s house instead of shampoo.
“I’m a comedian,” Miller said. “You have to make fun of yourself.”
The 37-year-old has been a controversial figure. He was originally scheduled to face then-champion Anthony Joshua at MSG in 2019 before being removed from the bout after failing pre-fight drug tests. Joshua instead fought late replacement Andy Ruiz Jr, who stopped him in one of the sport’s biggest ever upsets.
Miller returned to the sport after serving suspensions related to anti-doping violations and has since worked to reestablish himself in a crowded heavyweight division. He certainly reestablished himself on Saturday night, although perhaps not in the way he had planned.
Meeanwhile, Shakur Stevenson delivered the most complete performance of his career, outmanoeuvering, outthinking and ultimately outclassing Teófimo López over 12 rounds to claim the WBO and lineal junior welterweight titles and become a four-division champion.
Stevenson cruised to a unanimous decision at Madison Square Garden by identical scores of 119-109, 119-109 and 119-109, numbers that reflected a fight largely contested on his terms from the opening bell. (The Guardian had it 118-110.)
In a contest between arguably the two best American fighters active today, framed all week as a clash between volatility and control, it was Stevenson’s composure and fistic acumen that defined the night. The unbeaten southpaw from Newark, New Jersey, dictated the tempo early, repeatedly forcing López into reset mode with sharp lead-hand work and disciplined foot positioning that prevented the champion from establishing rhythm or distance.
Guardian
