Wednesday 3 April 2019 05:33, UK
Anthony Joshua will find it "impossible" to replicate Jarrell 'Big Baby' Miller in the preparations for his world heavyweight title defence, promoter Eddie Hearn has warned.
Joshua and Miller will both spend part of their training camps in Florida before contesting the IBF, WBA and WBO belts at New York's Madison Square Garden on June 1, live on Sky Sports Box Office.
"There is no one really that big," Joshua exclusively told Sky Sports when asked how he plans to recruit sparring partners to imitate Miller, who weighed-in for his most recent fight above 22 stone.
There is no-one really that big.
Joshua's promoter Hearn added: "It's very difficult. I'm very hands-on in that respect, and I get involved with sparring. We select sparring partners between [Joshua's trainer] Rob McCracken, AJ's training team, and AJ and me.
"To find a 23st guy, who moves fast, who has fast hands, who has a great engine, who forces the pressure, is very, very difficult.
"It's impossible, to be honest, to [imitate] Jarrell Miller, in terms of weight, size, speed, feet, everything. We're going to get as close as we can.
"We feel as though we've got a decent selection of guys.
"[Joshua] is very focused, he's in a great place right now, he's in Sheffield. He'll probably do another three or four weeks there before he goes to Florida, and he's got the bit between his teeth.
"The build-up was spicy. I think you're going to see a great performance from Anthony Joshua in this fight."
Last week Shannon Briggs who, like Miller, hails from Brooklyn in New York warned Joshua that his US debut would be a rough outing.
"[Miller] is a phenomenal fighter, he is a real test for AJ," Briggs warned.
"He is a tough guy. He's a locomotive, once he gets started it is hard to stop him. He will have to establish the jab early and, if 'Big Baby' gets warmed up, it could be a crazy night.
"[Joshua] is fighting undefeated guys and, only with 22 fights, he is at the top of his game.
"I predict this fight like this: It depends on the first round. Whoever is passive will lose.
"This had the making of a great fight because you have a guy who can box and a guy who is a slugger."
