Boxing News And Betting Tips
Punch Your Ticket: Miller v Pero Preview and Prediction
It’s a high-stakes heavyweight showdown as veteran Jarrell Miller meets the undefeated Lenier Pero with a shot at the WBA championship on the line at the Fontainebleau in Las Vegas on Saturday night (Sunday morning SA time), writes Quintin van Jaarsveld.
MAIN CARD:
Sunday, April 26, 5 AM SA time
Jarrell Miller (1.66) v Lenier Pero (2.20) (Heavyweight)
Heavyweight boxing is back in the spotlight with former two-time champion Tyson Fury fresh off a triumphant return against Russian giant Arslanbek Makhmudov.
Coming out of retirement (again), “The Gypsy King” looked good en route to a dominant decision victory and has fellow British great Anthony Joshua in his sights.
May will be a massive month with Fabio Wardley and Daniel Dubois duking it out for the WBO belt in Manchester and unified champion Oleksandr Usyk facing former Glory Kickboxing heavyweight king Rico Verhoeven at The Pyramids of Giza in Egypt.
This weekend, the spotlight shines on two gold-chasing gargantuans. Scheduled for 12 rounds, the WBA title eliminator is do-or-die for Miller, while for Pero, it’s the big break he’s been waiting for.
For a veteran of 30 pro fights, Miller’s toughest opponent has been himself. Back in 2019, “Big Baby” squandered a life-changing opportunity when his scheduled blockbuster bout against then-unified champion Joshua was cancelled after the American failed a series of drug tests.
As if that wasn’t bad enough, he popped for drugs again in 2020, costing him his deal with Top Rank and earning him a suspension. Since returning in 2022, he’s won four fights, lost one, and drawn another, taking his record to 27-1-2 with 22 knockouts.
His most recent bout saw Miller go viral after his hairpiece came off in the heat of battle against Kingsley Ibeh. The 37-year-old won the fight by split decision and made the most of the attention by appearing on talk shows. Back in the spotlight and the win column, he now has one last chance to punch his ticket to a title shot.
Pero, meanwhile, has been putting in the work and beaten all comers. “El Justiciero” is ranked No. 2 by the WBA, behind only England’s Moses Itauma, and is coming off a one-sided victory over Jordan Thompson in November, which extended his perfect professional record to 13-0 with eight knockouts.
Fury gets a lot of credit for his movement for a heavyweight, and Miller deserves the same praise for his. He’s always been a swarmer, a man who prioritises pressure, power, and work rate rather than finesse and speed, and is still a cardio machine.
Pero is a prototypical Cuban pugilist built on technique, movement, and ring intelligence rather than brute force. The younger man at 33, the southpaw will have a speed advantage and is pretty slick; however, he’s unproven at the highest level.
Miller represents that step up in competition for Pero, and his size, stamina, savviness and, most importantly, experience should see the veteran come out on top.
Prediction: Miller by decision.
Best Bet: Miller by decision at 2.37.
Alternative Bet: Miller at 1.66.