Daniel Dubois entered the ring on December 23 with questions on his heart hanging over him.
The 26-year-old was stopped in August by Oleksandr Usyk, and many felt he could have dug deep to continue.
In that way, the controversial ‘Big Baby’ Miller was the perfect return opponent – he plodded his 333lbs fram forward for all ten rounds, not giving Dubois a second to breathe.
The Brit kept moving and held his stamina throughout, able to grasp the momentum in the second half and stop the brash Brooklynite seconds before the final bell.
Speaking to the media post-fight, Dubois said he wants the big names now.
“Frank Warren will do his job, but I want all the big names now. I feel like I’ve gained the experience and I’ve improved bounds and leaps. And confidence-wise, I proved to myself I can dig deep tonight.”
Pushed on some specifics, Dubois said Anthony Joshua, Tyson Fury and second fight with Oleksandr Usyk.
“AJ. All the big boys. AJ, Fury, Usyk rematch, come on! I had a lot of things going on in my life and my head that I needed sort out, and tonight was a part of my redemption and recovery process. We’re out to win, and that’s what we did. I’ve got a lot of maturing to do, a lot of things to learn, I was scrappy in there but we came through it.”
Joshua beat Otto Wallin on the same night, looking back to his destructive best, and is expected to face Filip Hrgovic in early 2024.
Both Fury and Usyk are tied up in an undisputed showdown set for February 17, and a rematch clause will likely see Dubois waiting for some time.
Despite shooting for the stars, pundits and fans will enjoy seeing him in with plenty of other heavyweight contenders – Andy Ruiz Jr, Zhilei Zhang, or a rematch with Joe Joyce all seeming plausible.