American boxer Jarrell Miller may be on the verge of securing a WBA world heavyweight title fight against reigning champion Murat Gassiev. Although the WBA recently clarified that Miller is not a mandatory challenger, he remains hopeful of facing the Russian champion. Following his victory over Lenier Pero in April, Miller expressed interest in a title shot, and Gassiev has also indicated his willingness to fight.
Gassiev stated that if Moses Itauma pursues the IBF route, Miller would become the official contender for his WBA title, making the fight inevitable. The Russian champion is also interested in a unification bout with WBC champion Agit Kabayel, but emphasized that any potential fight depends on the specifics. With Itauma set to face Filip Hrgovic for the vacant IBF belt, Miller, ranked second by the WBA, may be next in line for a title shot. This could be Miller's first opportunity at a world heavyweight title since his scheduled 2019 fight against Anthony Joshua was cancelled due to a doping scandal.
Gassiev, who became the WBA world heavyweight champion after Oleksandr Usyk vacated his belts, recently defended his title with a sixth-round stoppage win over Peter Kadiru and is now eager to acquire more world belts. He expressed his desire for any available unification bout, emphasizing that his ultimate goal is to unify the titles.