Jarrell “Big Baby” Miller was involved in one of the more unusual moments in recent boxing history on Saturday night when his hairpiece was dislodged during his heavyweight victory over Kingsley Ibeh on the undercard of the Teófimo López–Shakur Stevenson card at Madison Square Garden.
The incident occurred late in the second round as Ibeh landed a flurry of punches along the ropes. One shot snapped Miller’s head backward and caused his hairpiece to lift from the front, exposing his bald patch before the wig folded backward. The incident drew gasps and laughter from the crowd.
Miller finished the round with the hairpiece still partially attached. Between rounds, he removed it completely and tossed it into the crowd before returning to the fight.
Miller went on to win the fight on a narrow split decision. After his victory was announced, he rubbed the top of his head while celebrating in the ring.
Speaking afterward, Miller joked that he had lost much of his hair only days earlier after mistakenly using “ammonia bleach” he said he found at his mother’s house instead of shampoo.
“I’m a comedian,” Miller said. “You have to make fun of yourself.”
The 37-year-old has been a controversial figure. He was originally scheduled to face then-champion Anthony Joshua at MSG in 2019 before being removed from the bout after failing pre-fight drug tests. Joshua instead fought late replacement Andy Ruiz Jr, who stopped him in one of the sport’s biggest ever upsets.
Miller returned to the sport after serving suspensions related to anti-doping violations and has since worked to reestablish himself in a crowded heavyweight division. He certainly reestablished himself on Saturday night, although perhaps not in the way he had planned.
