ROCHESTER, N.Y. – Undefeated heavyweight prospect Jarrell “Big Baby” Miller won by third-round TKO over veteran Fred Kassi in the ShoBox: The New Generation main event, Friday, live on SHOWTIME from Rhinos Stadium in Rochester, N.Y.

Following a cagey first round that favored Kassi (18-5-1, 10 KOs), Brooklynite Miller (18-0-1, 16 KOs), turned up the body work and pressure in rounds two and three. After landing 36-of-57 power shots in the third and racking up 30 connects to the body, Kassi retired on the stool between rounds, citing a hand injury. Miller landed an impressive 57 percent of his power shots for the fight and limited Kassi to 22 percent of his hooks, crosses and uppercuts.

Kassi said after the fight that his right hand was injured in the second and pushed through the pain for one more round before giving in.

The 6-foot-4, Miller viciously attacked the body and delivered some big rights and combinations. Kassi had some moments where he out-boxed his opponent, but Miller’s power and size—a possible 50+-pound advantage—was the deciding factor. With this victory, “Big Baby” ups his winning streak to 14 straight.

“I knew it would take some time to get going tonight.  I was thinking maybe three or four rounds to warm up and get going.  But in the second round, I got my wind and I knew I hurt him,” said Miller, who is ranked among the top 10 heavyweights in three of the four sanctioning bodies. “My legs came alive and I touched his body and his head.  I knew I was going to get the stoppage.

“I think he could have continued, though.  He just didn’t want to.  That’s why I take my hat off to Deontay Wilder.  I still want to break his jaw, but he finished his fight with a broken hand.  That’s what champions do.  Kassi didn’t want to continue." 

Kassi said, “I must have hurt my hand in the first round because in the second, every time I hit him I felt a shock.  I wanted to keep going but he’s a big guy and I couldn’t use my hand.  When you fight a guy that is 50 pounds heavier than you are, you need all the weapons.”

“The size difference and the strength difference was so enormous,” said SHOWTIME Boxing’s veteran analyst Steve Farhood. “Once Miller started rolling, it was clear that Kassi had no answers.  Kassi had been nimble and he slid off the ropes a few times in round one.  That was gone in round 2.  So, perhaps in some people’s eyes, this win is cheapened by the injury, but to me it was clear that Big Baby was on his way to doing what more advanced heavyweights like Dominic Breazeale and Chris Arreola couldn’t do, and that’s stop Fred Kassi.

“Bottom line, Jarrell Miller’s stock went up tonight.  He faced his toughest test and he passed it.”