Tag: James Prince

Unbeaten heavyweight Efe Ajagba signs promotional deal with Top Rank

Top Rank has announced that it has signed heavyweight prospect Efe Ajagba to a long-term promotional agreement.

Heavyweight prospect Efe Ajagba has a new team.

Top Rank announced on Wednesday that it has signed the undefeated 26-year-old to a long-term promotional agreement. Ajagba (13-0, 11 KOs) also has enlisted the services of manager James Prince and head trainer Kay Koroma.

Ajagba had been with Premier Boxing Champions and was trained by Ronnie Shields.

“I made this decision to become a better boxer and to advance my career,” Ajagba said in a press release. “That’s why I signed with James Prince and Top Rank.”

The 6-foot-6, 240-plus-pound Ajagba is expected to make his debut under the Top Rank banner sometime this year.

“When I return to the ring soon, you will see a new Efe Ajagba,” he said. “Kay Koroma and I are working on my head movement and defense, as I seek to become a more well-rounded fighter.”

Top Rank chairman Bob Arum is already impressed.

“Efe Ajagba is one of the most gifted young heavyweights I’ve seen in quite some time,” Arum said. “He has immense physical tools and a great work ethic. I have the utmost confidence that we’re looking at a future heavyweight champion.”

Ajagba is ranked in the Top 15 by two of the major governing organizations. It should be interesting to see if he can put himself in the conversation led by Top Rank fighter Tyson Fury, Anthony Joshua and Deontay Wilder as the best heavyweights in the world.

There’s no doubting Ajagba’s power, as six of his 11 knockouts have come in the first round. He also famously holds the record for the fastest win in boxing history. Curtis Harper walked out of the ring one second after the bell tolled for their August 2018 bout, leading to an instant disqualification.

Ajagba delivered a ninth-round TKO of Razvan Cojanu his last time out this past March.

Jarrell Miller, back in trash-talk mode, takes jabs at Wilder-Fury II

Jarrell Miller knows no shame, and is not afraid to let everyone know. The disgraced heavyweight took time to denigrate Wilder-Fury II.

Jarrell Miller is a disgraced drug cheat in the eyes of many, but don’t expect him to lie low.

With the ink still fresh from signing a multi-year promotional contract with Top Rank, the Brooklyn heavyweight is eager to make his ring return later this spring. He’s also apparently eager to get back to his trash-talking ways. His favorite target? The heavyweight division’s upper class. 

“Beyoncé wilder undercard is going to be a lil dry I think it need(s) a lil Juicing Up,” the Brooklyn heavyweight posted on Instagram Friday in a reference to the upcoming heavyweight title fight between Deontay Wilder and Tyson Fury.

Juicing up? Was that a Freudian slip? Or just Miller being Miller?

We might as well get used to it. Top Rank boasts a slew of heavyweights who can serve as potential opponents for Miller, including Kubrat Pulev, Carlos Takam and Agit Kabayel, to name a few.

Miller tested positive for several PEDs ahead of his scheduled tussle against then British titleholder Anthony Joshua in June 2018. He was dropped from the card but, in the opinion of many, the penalty he received was a slap on the rest: The WBA suspended him for six months while the New York State Athletic Commission, citing Miller’s expired license, took no punitive action.

After staying out of the headlines for a few months, Miller linked up with a new manager in James Prince, the manager of former two-time titleholder Andre Ward and current featherweight titleholder Shakur Stevenson.

In another post, Miller recorded himself addressing his followers about the Wilder-Fury pay-per-view tilt, comparing it to bodily waste.

“They want to give you a fart fight,” he said. “If you want to watch a fart fight on pay-per-view, I think Deontay Wilder-Fury might be your card. But if you want that smoke smoke, come holla at your boy, cuz I”m back and I’mma smoke somebody ass. I can’t wait, I really can’t wait.

“Big Baby is back. The most entertaining heavyweight in the game.”

Heavyweights galore: Top Rank in talks with Jarrell Miller, Tony Yoka

Bob Arum’s Top Rank is close to signing Jarrell Miller and Tony Yoka, according to various reports.

Top Rank’s burgeoning heavyweight stable could get a little more crowded.

The Las Vegas-based promotional company headed by Bob Arum is in talks with highly regarded heavyweights Jarrell Miller and Tony Yoka on multifight deals, according to various reports. The fighters would join a heavyweight roster headed by Tyson Fury, who will challenge titleholder Deontay Wilder on Feb. 22 in Las Vegas.

Miller (23-0-1, 20 KOs), a 31-year-old New Yorker, is one of the top heavyweight contenders. He came under fire last summer after he tested positive for multiple banned substances ahead of a scheduled fight against British titleholder Anthony Joshua, who ended up losing to Andy Ruiz Jr. in a historic upset in June. Miller is co-promoted by Dmitry Salita and Greg Cohen. (Cohen was recently sentenced to six months in federal prison for wire fraud unrelated to boxing).

Yoka (7-0, 6 KOs), a 27-year-old native of Paris, won the super heavyweight gold medal at the 2016 Rio Olympics. He was promoted in the past by Richard Schaefer. Like Miller, Yoka saw his career stymied for reasons related to PEDs. In 2018, French officials suspended him for one year for allegedly missing three scheduled doping tests. Yoka returned to the ring in July 2019 with a knockout win over Alexander Dimitrenko. He followed up that with a stoppage victory over Michael Wallisch in September.

Arum was in France recently to meet with Yoka. Arum told the French news outlet RMC that negotiations were headed in the right direction.

“All the parties are in agreement, even if we haven’t signed anything yet,” he said. “The reason we’re here is to discuss the terms of the contract. Tony is a unbelievable young man, very intelligent, and we hope to see him fight in the United States in the spring under the Top Rank banner.”

After years of relative neglect when it came to boxing’s so-called glamour division, Top Rank has spent the past couple of years stockpiling heavyweights. It signed veterans Kubrat Pulev and Agit Kabayel. It has also scoured for big men on the grassroots level, scooping up prospects Sonny Conto, Guido Vianello and Jared Anderson.

Both Miller and Yoka are managed by James Prince, who also handlesTop-Rank promoted featherweight Shakur Stevenson and heavyweight Bryant Jennings.

Jarrell Miller takes his first steps back into boxing fold

Jarrell Miller, who threw away a chance to fight Anthony Joshua when he tested positive for PEDs, is working his way back into the sport.

Jarrell Miller is getting the red carpet treatment.

Not even six months out from his PED bust, the disgraced heavyweight contender has signed with noted manager James Prince, the fighter announced recently on his Instagram.

The news comes on the heels of a reported multi-year deal being mulled between Miller and Top Rank. Prince, also a music executive, currently manages Top Rank-promoted 126-pound titleholder Shakur Stevenson and Bryant Jennings. He is best known in boxing for managing the career of Andre Ward.

https://www.instagram.com/p/B5as_AHhh9Y/

Miller drew headlines when he tested positive multiple times for banned substances leading up to his June 1 fight against Anthony Joshua. Aside from losing out on what would have been a career high payday, reported to be $6.5 million, Miller was stripped of his license in New York and banned for six months by the WBA.

Should Miller sign with Top Rank, he will join a heavyweight stable that includes Tyson Fury and Kubrat Pulev.

Miller (23-0-1, 20 knockouts) hasn’t fought since a fourth-round knockout of Bogdan Dinu in November of last year.