Fabio Wardley and Jarrell Miller clash in stadium showdown this summer
Fabio Wardley will live the dream of his longed-for homecoming fight when he faces American giant Jarrell Miller at Portman Road, the home of Ipswich Town FC, with the interim WBA World Heavyweight Championship on the line, live on DAZN.
Queensberry’s Wardley (18-0-1, 17 KOs) heads into the fight with the voluble Brooklyn Boy fresh off his success against British rival Frazer Clarke in October, when the Olympian was blasted out inside a round over in Riyadh.
The quickfire triumph was a sequel to a thrilling draw in March of last year, which was voted ‘Fight of the Year’ at the recent BBBoC awards ceremony.
The Ipswich native became British champion in November 2022 by defeating Nathan Gorman and made a successful defence against David Adeleye in October 2023, a fight in which he also won the vacant Commonwealth championship and WBO European title, to add to the WBA Continental belt already in his possession.
Wardley is ranked highly by all the governing bodies, holding a No.1 ranking with the WBA, No.3 with the WBO and WBC and No.8 with the IBF. He is also listed at No.9 in the Ring Magazine ratings.
Miller (26-1-2, 22 KOs), known as Big Baby, propelled himself back onto the heavyweight frontline in 2023 with a victory over Lucas Browne, which resulted in a Riyadh Season call to take on Daniel Dubois at the end of the year.
The 36-year-old started strongly and applied huge pressure on the now IBF world champion, before his stamina faded in the later rounds and Dubois took advantage and secured a 10th round stoppage.
His display against Dubois earned him a Riyadh Season recall for the Los Angeles edition where he went up against former unified world champion Andy Ruiz at the BMO Stadium in August.
Despite dominating the fight in the eyes of most observers. Miller was forced to accept a majority draw when the scorecards were revealed.
“On a personal note, it is a huge pleasure for me to deliver Fabio Wardley his dream of fighting at Portman Road,” said promoter Frank Warren. “It is what he has spoken about from day one of our alliance and I know how much Ipswich Town means to him.
“I believe this is the perfect fight for Fabio to take his next step because Miller is no easy pickings for anyone, especially given his size and front foot style. Fabio really is ‘Running Towards Adversity’!”
“Fabio and I have been discussing a Portman Road fight for the best part of nearly four years,” said Chairman and CEO of Ipswich Town FC Mark Ashton. “So, I’m delighted that we’ve managed to get this fight over the line and give Fabio the opportunity for a homecoming world title fight at Portman Road.
“I’d like to thank Frank Warren and his team, who have all been tremendous throughout the planning process, and we’re all now looking forward to fight night. Let’s get this town and county behind one of our own in what is sure to be a thrilling event on our doorstep.”
Fabio Wardley: “As a proud Tractor Boy born and bred in Ipswich, this is a dream come true for me. Fighting for a world title at Portman Road means everything to me. I’ve got a tough opponent in front of me, but that’s what I live for. I’m ready to dig deep, go to battle, and leave it all in the ring. Even more so than usual! It’s going to be a war, and I can’t wait to give my hometown crowd a spectacle they’ll never forget.”
Fabio Wardley’s manager, Michael Ofo said; “Wardley bleeds Ipswich. He’s dreamt of nights like this his whole life, and now it’s his moment. The man across the ring is no pushover, but that’s exactly what we want—real challenges. Real fights. He’s ready for war, and when that bell rings, you’ll see why he’s the pride of the east of England.”
Miller’s advisor, Spencer Brown commented; “I am delighted to bring this fabulous opportunity to Jarrell on such a big stage. I think he’s the best heavyweight in America and if I didn’t think he was going to win this we wouldn’t have taken the fight. Fabio is a great fighter, one of the best in the UK and good guy but he’s bitten off more than he can chew. It’s great to team up with Queensberry once again! It’s going to be some night at Portman Road on June 7 and I’m 100% behind my man to get the job done.”
“Another great fight for our subscribers this summer”, said Michael Ridout, EVP Combat Sports & New Business at DAZN. “Fabio Wardley is the coming man in the heavyweight division with two excellent headline making performances against Frazer Clarke in the last 12 months. He deserves this homecoming! Jerrell Miller always brings it both in and out the ring and we can’t wait to broadcast this sensational night of heavyweight boxing, live and exclusive June 7, only on DAZN.”
Tickets for ‘Running Towards Adversity’ go on presale to Ipswich Town FC season ticket holders at 1pm on Monday, 7 April and general sale at 1pm on Wednesday, 9 April available from itfc.co.uk.