The ink had hardly dried on Katie Taylor's bout agreement when the June 1 main event was plunged into jeopardy.
Taylor's clash with WBC champion Delfine Persoon, which will crown the undisputed queen of the lightweight division, was scheduled to act as the chief support for Anthony Joshua's upcoming title defence against Jarrell Miller in Madison Square Garden.
But less than 24 hours after Taylor vs. Persoon was made official, the headline bout fell into doubt due to
Miller reportedly testing positive for a banned substance.
Miller's team is currently seeking more information from the Voluntary Anti-Doping Association and the unbeaten New Yorker's B sample will be tested before a decision is made.
If Miller is not licensed to fight on June 1, it leaves Matchroom Boxing boss Eddie Hearn with his work cut out for him to find a replacement to fight one of the pound-for-pound best fighters in the world on just six weeks' notice.
https://twitter.com/EddieHearn/status/1118335778780844034
Given the promotional dollars that Hearn and DAZN have pumped into Joshua's US debut, postponing the clash with Miller for later this year would be a far-from-ideal option.
A postponement would also force Taylor to find a new date for her unification clash but, fortunately, that won't be necessary.
Hearn has promised that Joshua will be fighting on June 1 in New York City, which means that Taylor vs. Persoon is not in danger.
"I spoke to 'AJ' last night. It’s not an ideal situation and we have to wait and see what happens with Jarrell," Hearn told the
Daily Mail.
"If he is unable to fight, 'AJ' will still be fighting June 1 in Madison Square Garden.
"He has told me he will fight absolutely anyone and so we are looking at our options right now."
