SAD INDICTMENT
But his return highlights why the ‘war on drugs’ is boxing’s biggest untruth, writes Matt Christie
Our verdict on disgraced heavyweight Jarrell Miller’s new promotional deal
NINE months ago, heavyweight Jarrell Miller failed multiple tests that proved beyond any doubt he was a drug cheat. Subsequently thrown out of a June 2019 date with Anthony Joshua but not out of the sport, it didn’t take long for him to land on his feet. Last week the news was released on social media that he has been signed by Top Rank – arguably the most powerful promotional outfit in the boxing world – and his next fight will be broadcast by ESPN.
On Instagram, the post attracted 4,636 likes. On Twitter and Facebook it was among Top Rank’s most popular posts of the week. Despite Miller’s thwarted plan to bludgeon another fighter with illegal weapons, it appears most are happy to see him back. And those social media numbers will be nothing compared to the amount of people who watch him on TV, the gate receipts, and – most ridiculous of all – the money that ultimately ends up in Miller’s back pocket.
Some might say that Miller missing out on the Joshua payday is punishment enough. Nonsense. Jarrell Miller, an attention-seeking contender in a world heavyweight title fight who had done nothing to merit his shot in the first place, provided boxing with another chance to do the right thing: One, make an example of the “Big Baby”, two, find out who was pushing the drugs, three, find out who was supplying the drugs, four, show them all the door and never work with them again.
But this is the entertainment business. Boxing looks utterly spineless, granted, but so what? Those who care, who really care, are very much in the minority. This is a numbers game where doing the right thing only gets in the way. The message from the top is clear: If you want to take drugs, get stuck in. If you get caught, fear not, a second chance will be rolled out like a red carpet.
We should be utterly dismayed that this is how boxing allows itself to be so grotesquely manipulated. But because ‘boxing’ is a free-for-all with oodles of chiefs and no overriding governance, the basic rules on getting rumbled for cheating go something like this: If you can earn money for a promoter or a sanctioning body or a commission or a broadcaster, you will be forgiven. The more money you can earn, the quicker you’ll be allowed back. But while it’s tempting to blame the big promoters who broker these deals, to do so would be like shouting at a dog for eating all the biscuits that have fallen to the floor.
In an ideal world, certain promoters would not be so unashamedly greedy. In an ideal world, the health of the sport would take priority over the health of their own bank accounts. After all, if every promoter refused to work with any fighter who had failed a test then the problem would go away overnight. But this is not an ideal world. Promoters were put on this earth to make money and, as such, they’re doing what they were programmed to do by exploiting a broken system. To fix it would only limit their opportunities.
Of course, promoters are only a part of the problem. There are myriad commissions all over the world. If you break the rules in one, you’ll be welcomed into another. The sanctioning bodies make it up as they go along but – one thing that remains consistent – they will not work together for the better of the sport. There are numerous drug testing agencies, some more effective than others, but none so empowered they can make any real difference. Until any of that changes, the mess will only get worse.
So, if a boxer is allowed back into the sport so soon after getting caught cheating, it’s about time we asked the question: Is there really any point in carrying out testing at all? Being thrown out of a multi-million-dollar fight to then be invited back to make millions less than 12 months later is more reward than punishment; particularly when one considers that, in boxing, notoriety inflates marketability. But, hang on, we’re told that boxers are being punished. Liam Cameron, for example, was banned for four years after traces of cocaine were found in his system. But how does that compare to Miller downing a cocktail of drugs designed to enhance his fighting prowess? If Cameron was banned for four years, boot Miller out for eight. While any boxer being punished for crimes against the sport should be applauded, it’s hard to ignore the accusation that only those who have little bargaining power are likely to find themselves in serious trouble. How many big-name boxers can you name who have faced career-threatening bans?
War on drugs? It’s a blatant untruth to suggest there is anything of the sort. That’s not to say there are not good people in the sport who want to fight the good fight, but their influence is dwarfed by those who can make serious cash by doing the opposite. The war on drugs is a one-sided mismatch in the cheats’ favour, and it will continue to be for as long as promoters and sanctioning bodies are allowed free rein without a set of universal rules and regulations to conform to.
At Boxing News, we have said for a long time that there are not only too many cooks, there are too many kitchens. And as the case of Jarrell Miller and countless others prove, an infestation of vermin in every corner.
IS THERE ANY POINT IN CARRYING OUT DRUG TESTING AT ALL?