Quitting is always frowned upon in the sport of boxing. So, when Daniel Dubois waved the white flag against both Joe Joyce and Oleksandr Usyk, some in boxing circles viewed him as a strong and talented fighter, but one who would fold under pressure. Jarrell Miller shared that same belief.

The slick-talking, hard-hitting heavyweight contender believed there were too many holes in Dubois’ game overall. He was also convinced that Dubois was frail mentally. So while he sauntered into their showdown as an underdog, Miller was happy that oddsmakers weren’t on his side. He phoned up all of his close friends and family members and told them to withdraw their life savings and head to their nearest bookie.

Dubois might have been his toughest opponent on paper, but in the ring, Miller had no doubt that he would have an easy night at the office.

Heading in, Miller talked a good game. Dubois isn’t the most talkative fighter around but he made a good play on words using Miller’s nickname, “Big Baby.”

“Every baby has a daddy and I’m gonna beat you like I’m your daddy,” said Dubois during the pre-fight press conference.

Miller laughed and applauded Dubois for his good joke. However, he had no idea that he was about to put some action behind those words.

For the majority of their showdown, Dubois (20-2, 19 KOs) was the better man. He was faster, hit harder, and certainly had the better conditioning. With the win already in the bag heading into the final three minutes, Dubois went for the knockout, eventually getting it with just a few seconds remaining.

With the biggest smile plastered to his face, Dubois reminded everyone that his prediction was spot on.

“I said I was gonna be his daddy in there and I think I did that,” Dubois told Seconds Out.

The build-up for their heavyweight showdown was laced with curse-filled tirades, shoves, and various verbal threats. Nevertheless, that’s all water under the bridge now. After punching each other in the face for roughly 30 minutes, Dubois believes that both he and Miller are officially joined at the hip.  

“Me and Miller, he’s gonna be my friend for life.”