American heavyweight boxer Jarrell ‘Big Baby’ Miller secured a narrow victory in New York on Saturday night - but not without an unusual moment that stole the spotlight when his toupee came loose during the fight.
The incident occurred during Miller’s bout against Kingsley Ibeh at Madison Square Garden, when the 37-year-old absorbed a flurry of punches that caused his hairpiece to lift at the front. By the end of the round, Miller appeared to notice the problem, smiled, and casually tossed the toupee into the crowd, drawing laughter and surprise from spectators.
Despite the bizarre interruption, Miller stayed focused and went on to clinch victory via split decision, keeping his composure even after losing his hairpiece.
Speaking in his post-fight interview, Miller explained that the toupee was a last-minute solution after an unfortunate hair mishap at home. He claimed his hair had fallen out after accidentally using shampoo mixed with bleach.
“I went to my mama’s house and there were some shampoo bottles on the table,” Miller said. “I shampooed and it was like ammonium bleach. I literally lost my hair two days ago.”
He added that he quickly called his manager to arrange an emergency replacement. “I said, ‘Get me one of those manes,’ and I slapped that on real quick,” he joked. “I’m a comedian — I make fun of myself.”
The bout took place on the undercard of the WBO super-lightweight title fight between Teofimo Lopez and Shakur Stevenson, which Stevenson won by unanimous decision.
Miller, who has had a turbulent history in professional boxing, was previously scheduled to fight Anthony Joshua at Madison Square Garden in 2019. That fight was canceled after Miller failed a drug test, with Andy Ruiz Jr stepping in - a change that led to one of the biggest upsets in boxing history when Ruiz defeated Joshua.
