Jarrell Miller May Be Lined Up To Fight Oquendo For WBA Title

Manuel Charr has popped positive for PED usage and that might be good news for Jarrell Miller.

Charr was supposed to fight Fres Oquendo, age 45, on Sept. 28, but that fight, for the WBA lesser heavyweight title, will not occur.

Promoter Dmitriy Salita handles Miller, the Brooklyn born hitter who is a fan favorite, though some detractors wish he’d be more of a power puncher.

Miller (age; 21-0-1), who walks around at over 300 pounds, connects with boxing watchers who also like a cheeseburger and fries and don’t shy away from doing dessert as well.

Back to the 33 year old from Lebanon who lives in Germany, Charr (31-4). Him and the Puerto Rican born Oquendo (37-8) were to rumble in Cologne.

Scratch that plan…Charr’s sample showed presence of steroids, it was reported.

Oquendo has had bad luck regarding PEDs; a planned fight with Shannon Briggs dropped out when Briggs tested positive in May 2017. Amazingly, he hasn’t fought since July 2014, when he lost a decision to Ruslan Chagaev. He was to rematch Chagaev in 2015 but withdrew after hurting himself. He may have the best management team in the sport today.

Charr had snagged the WBA international crown by beating Sefer Seferi in 2016 and he downed Alexander Ustinov in Nov. 2017 to take the vacant WBA lesser belt. Anthony Joshua holds the WBA “A” belt. (The WBA offers too many belts, most everyone outside the WBA agrees.)

Salita in London told me while we took in the Joshua-Povetkin weigh in that he has been in talks with the WBA to sub in Miller for Charr. No. 1 contender Miller was due to fight the winner of Charr v Oquendo, so it makes sense to Salita that Miller fight Tomasz Adamek Oct. 6, win, then fight Oquendo “before the end of the year.”

The promoter also will speak to promoter Eddie Hearn, as he handles Anthony Joshua, who holds most of the belts, and also Dillian Whyte, a top tier contender.

Miller against either of those lads has been discussed, for down the line. “We want the WBA to know Jarrell is ready and willing to fight for the world title, and with that title it adds great excitement to the heavweight division having a champ from Brooklyn join the mix with Joshua and Wilder,” Salita said.

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