Jarrell Miller's hair-raiser, Lawrence Okolie's drug debacle and a weird boxing weekend: 5 things to watch
We’re back on the boxing beat this weekend, doing our best not to skip ahead to what’s waiting just around the corner.
And it’s a struggle for good reason.
It’s not often that a doubleheader of delicious domestic duels land on the boxing calendar, with Naoya Inoue vs. Junto Nakatani and Gilberto “Zurdo” Ramirez vs. David Benavidez arriving like two London buses at the beginning of May.
That being said — there’s still enough to whet the appetite as we wave goodbye to April, including the return of a heavyweight made infamous for literally failing to keep his wig on.
So, let’s dig a little deeper into what this weekend has to offer in the world of boxing.
1. Miller looks to capitalize on viral toupee mishap
It wouldn’t be far-fetched to suggest that two of the biggest reasons a casual boxing fan may have heard Jarrell “Big Baby” Miller’s name are for reasons outside of his boxing performances.
Just when the Brooklyn fighter looked like he may have moved on from the criticism for failing at least four major drugs tests, his toupee decided to fly off his head in his most recent heavyweight duel — in which he beat Kingsley Ibeh over 10 rounds via split decision in February — leading to the 37-year-old becoming a viral sensation.
Now my mother, my mailman and even my dentist — who am I kidding, I’m British! — knows the name Jarrell Miller, and the 300-pound-plus heavyweight is looking to cash in on this notoriety, fast.
Matchroom and DAZN are willing to oblige, giving Miller an unexpected headlining slot inside the Fontainebleau in Las Vegas on Saturday night, challenging unbeaten Cuban southpaw Lenier Pero in a show aptly named “Hair Raiser.” Noticeably missing a hyphen, but let's not get into semantics.
A convincing win over Pero would go a long way to convincing those in attendance that Miller is more than a novelty act in boxing. And who knows? Anthony Joshua is looking for a “comeback opponent” in July, and with Miller back working with Matchroom, the chapter that began in 2019 could very well circle back around in 2026.
2. Bank is on the super middleweight march
Is Jacob Bank one of the best-kept secrets in boxing? It’s hard to tell.
The 25-year-old Danish super middleweight has strung together an unbeaten record of 18-0 (10 KOs) since turning pro in 2020 and is slowly chalking up recognized names on his ledger.
His past two wins have come over Tyron Zeuge and William Scull, both via stoppage and both in front of good crowds in his native Kolding, Denmark, where he’s been based throughout the entirety of his career.
We’re back in Kolding on Saturday night as Bank takes on Namibia’s Paulinus Ndjolonimu — a fight many are regarding as his last before moving up to challenge for world honors.
Hamzah Sheeraz is the name the Dane is gunning for.
“They took my title opportunity away when the WBO chose him to fight [Alem] Begic, who was ranked below me,” Bank explained to the media during fight week.
"So, if Sheeraz is a real man, we'll make that fight happen in the fall. Whether it's in Denmark, England or Saudi Arabia doesn't matter to me — I'll win in all three countries."
3. Subkhankulov and Usmonov meet in lightweight title eliminator
Somebody’s 0 has to go in Russia on Friday night, as unbeaten lightweight contenders Artur Subkhankulov and Bakhodur Usmonov square off in an IBF world title eliminator.
The winner of this fight — set for Ufa, Russia — will jump up the queue at 135 pounds, with IBF king Raymond Muratalla waiting to make the first defense of the crown he won outright against Andy Cruz back in January.
Subkhankulov and Usmonov have amassed 23 wins between them since turning pro in 2021 and 2020, respectively, and are both on the verge of breaking into the wider public consciousness in a weight class that is brimming with lucrative matchups.
Southpaw Subkhankulov has fought solely in his home nation of Russia, and now brings the 28-year-old Usmonov to the famous intimate Wrestling Palace, which holds close to 3,500 spectators.
4. Skye’s the limit at super bantamweight
It’s main event time Down Under for Skye Nicolson, as the fledgling super bantamweight headlines a card for the first time in her career against Mariah Turner on Wednesday.
Nicolson made the decision to drop down to the 122-pound division after losing her WBC featherweight title to Tiara Brown last March, but is convinced she’s on the right path to becoming a two-weight world champion in fresh waters.
The 30-year-old southpaw is on a three-fight win streak, two coming via stoppages, and now has the chance to retain the interim WBC super bantamweight title against her compatriot, Turner.
Turner arrives in Melbourne after winning all five of her fights in 2025 and is determined not to play the opponent in a card centered around the homecoming of Nicolson.
A win for Nicolson will put her in line to face the undisputed queen of the division, Ellie Scotney.
5. The fallout from canceled Paris show
Boxer fails drugs test — so what?
It’s an all too familiar tale in this sport, and Lawrence Okolie is the latest to fall foul of a doping test in the run-up to his heavyweight fight against Tony Yoka.
Well, how about the dozens of fighters who were scheduled to fight on Saturday night’s card in Paris who’ve already funded their training camps and are now out of pocket and, essentially, out of work?
Yoka has expressed his anger in the cancellation of this fight, insisting that Queensberry throw him into a fight on the Fabio Wardley vs. Daniel Dubois undercard, but it’s not all about the Frenchman.
"Before anyone starts imagining the worst, following my bicep injury last year, I sustained an elbow injury on the same arm during this camp," Okolie said in a statement posted on social media.
"I had a treatment on it and now we are here. I truly hope sense prevails.”
As the saying goes: “You are innocent until proven guilty.” But in boxing it’s usually better to cite: “There is no smoke without fire.”
