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Fight promotion devolves into shoving, 'your mom' insults ahead of Anthony Joshua-Jarrell Miller bout

Tuesday’s title fight promotion was a delightful mix of drug accusations, mom insults and shoving between Anthony Joshua and Jarrell Miller. (AP)
Tuesday’s title fight promotion was a delightful mix of drug accusations, mom insults and shoving between Anthony Joshua and Jarrell Miller. (AP)

Tuesday’s news conference promoting the heavyweight title fight between Anthony Joshua and Jarrell Miller was a cordial affair.

Nah, just kidding.

It was a terse, juvenile display feature drug accusations, shoving and “your mom” insults between a pair of fighters who apparently genuinely don’t like each other.

Joshua, Miller square off to promote title fight

The two met on a Madison Square Garden stage well ahead of the June 1 bout that will see WBA, IBF, WBO and IBO title holder Joshua (22-0, 21 knockouts) defend his crown against Brooklyn native Miller ( 23-0-1, 20 knockouts), aka Big Baby.

If their intent was to grab the attention of a sports public that wasn’t focused on the fight that will be U.K. native Joshua’s U.S. debut, then well done.

Staredown, shoving and “your mom” insults

The conference featured a staredown that saw Miller shove Joshua as the two met face-to-face for photographs.

But the real confrontation ensued when the two took opposite sides of the podium to hurl a slew of school-yard insults at each other.

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Joshua started his portion of the news conference by thanking Madison Square Garden for its hospitality before moving bluntly into insulting Miller.

Warning: The language here is most definitely NSFW:

“Miller’s a little bitch,” Joshua said. “I’m gonnna knock him the f— out on June 1. There’s no doubt about that.”

That’s when they really dug in for the good stuff that included the aforementioned insults about each other’s mothers.

“He’s an ex-kickboxer, drug abuser … the softest puncher in the heavyweight division,” Joshua said of Miller.

“Your mom thinks I’m hitting hard, though,” Miller retorted.

“Where’s your mom?” Joshua responded. “She’s lucky I pay her rent now. I pay her rent now. I pay your mom’s rent. I’m your landlord. I’m your landlord.”

Miller eventually led off stage

That delightful exchange prompted Miller to stand up and approach Joshua before being corralled and led off the stage to a round of applause.

Good stuff, indeed.

The mom insults are apparently a holdover from a media event last July in which Miller called Joshua a “sweet and low, cotton candy, apple jacks, apple juice, pansy throwin’ wearin’ sucker” and told Sporting News at a DAZN event he intended to take his mom out on a date.

It’s good to see the fight game’s still got its priorities straight.

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