Kingsley Ibeh vs Jarrell Miller Preview Jan. 31st, 2026
Jarrell ‘Big Baby’ Miller of Brooklyn, New York is set to meet Kingsley Ibeh of Nigeria in a 10-round heavyweight battle this Saturday, January 31st. The fight from New York City’s Madison Square Garden can seen live in most nations on DAZN pay-per-view on the undercard of the Teofimo Lopez vs Shakur Stevenson tilt. Miller’s last foray into the ring resulted in a 12-round draw with former world champion Andy Ruiz in August. In his previous outing in December, 2023 he was stopped by Daniel Dubois in the 10th and final round for his lone pro defeat. Ibeh last boxed in September when he halted Gerald Washington in the third round.
Ibeh vs Miller Betting Odds
Here are the betting odds from online sportsbook BetOnline.ag (full review here).
- Kingsley Ibeh +439
- Jarrell Miller -700
My Pick
The 32-year-old Ibeh, who fights out of Phoenix, Arizona, boasts a record of 16-2-1 with 14 Ko’s and has boxed just 53 rounds since making his pro debut in 2019. He’s a former football player as he was a defensive lineman at Washburn University and played in the Canadian Football League (CFL). He’s also the cousin of notorious heavyweight Ike Ibeabuchi, who recently returned to the ring himself. Ibeh stands 6-feet-4-inches tall with an 80-inch reach is currently riding an 11-fight winning streak. When it comes to power, Ibeh has plenty of it as 87.5 per cent of his wins have come by stoppage including six in a row and 10 of his past 11.
He hasn’t beaten any contenders however and when he did step up in class earlier in his career he couldn’t get over the hump. Ibeh lost his second pro fight to Waldo Cortes Acosta via a four-round split decision in 2019 but stopped Acosta in the fourth round a year later in their rematch. Ibeh faced Guido Vianello in 2020 as well and battled to a six-round draw. His second defeat came at the hands of Jared Anderson in February, 2021 when he was halted in the sixth and final round. Ibeh has recorded eight first-round knockouts with two in the second round, three in the third and one in the fourth stanza and that’s why he’s boxed just 53 rounds as a pro.
The 37-year-old Miller will enter the ring with a record of 26-1-2 with 22 Ko’s. This will be his sixth fight since June, 2022 after being out of the ring for almost four years because of failed drug tests. He was due to meet Anthony Joshua before failing tests in 2019 and failed tests again in 2020 when he was scheduled to meet Jerry Forrest. His first fight back was June, 2022 in Argentina when he beat Ariel Bracamonte via a 10-round unanimous decision after having a point deducted in the fourth round. Since then he’s stopped Derek Cardenas and Lucas Browne while being halted by Dubois and drawing with Ruiz.
Miller’s a good-sized heavyweight at 6-feet-4-inches tall with a reach of 78 inches so is the same height as Ibeh but gives up two inches in reach. He entered the ring at just over 341 lbs against Bracamonte; 328 lbs against Cardenas and 333 lbs against Browne and Dubois but was down to 305 lbs in his last outing against Ruiz. He’s not the typical muscle-bound heavyweight but his body shape has worked for him so far so he’s not expected to make any drastic changes in the near future. He’s also a former kickboxer who was a legitimate top-10 contender a few years ago.
Miller also has better-than-average power as 84.6 per cent of his victories have been by stoppage and he’s halted 13 of his last 17 opponents. He turned pro in 2009 after a brief but successful amateur career and has 131 rounds under his belt since. He hasn’t fought any top-ranked foes other than Dubois and Ruiz but he has beaten a 41-year-old Tomasz Adamek as well Bogdan Dinu, Johann Duhaupas, Akhror Muralimov, Donovan Dennis, Gerald Washington, Fred Kassi, Mariusz Wach and Browne. The first draw on his record was a four-round affair with Joey Dawelko in 2013. Along the way he won the vacant WBO NABO Heavyweight Title in 2016.
Prediction…
The main question concerning Miller is typically about his weight and conditioning but he’s been pretty successful in his career so far. He has underrated boxing skills but has been stopped before. He has a good chin though and also has the power to stop Ibeh. On the other side of the coin, Ibeh has the power to stop Miller as well but I don’t believe he can outbox him. This is going to be a very close call. To be honest, I can see this fight going either way but believe Ibeh is stepping up in class here and I’m not sure how he’s going to handle it. Nothing will come as a surprise here but I have a feeling Miller may edge it due to his experience against tougher opponents and his skills.
I’ll go with Miller’s boxing ability in a tossup.
Play: Miller -700 @ BetOnline.ag
Check out my recent boxing betting picks to see my current form.
Jarrell Miller betting • Kingsley Ibeh betting