Last night we had part one of our interview with Jarrell Big Baby Miller - the #2 ranked contender for the world heavyweight title - who’s also a proud Belizean.  In part two of our interview, Miller talks about growing up in Belize City - and then migrating to Brooklyn, New York at the age of 6.  He says the transition was a sharp and tough learning curve:…

 

Growing Up: Belize vs. Brooklyn

 

Jarrell Miller - World Heavyweight Contender

“You could see the difference in poverty line depending on, you know, where you live and where you stay at and how your family, you know, the way they move. In Belize it’s a lot more different. It's like you know, you might feel you’re poor, but you don’t feel it inside you know emotionally, because you know all your family’s together, you eat dinner together, you go to school together, your cousin down the block, your aunty down the block, everybody have fun, you know, it’s a different vibe, when you’re on an island, or when you’re in a Caribbean country, but like in New York, it’s totally different, you have to take trains, you have to take buses, you have food stamps....and emotionally it changes kids.  Kids act differently when they come to the states from when you live in Belize, and you know it taught me a lot, but it made me kind of like hard at the same. Kind of like an M & M, soft on the outside, but hard on the outside, yeah.

 

Always Knew Boxing Was The Thing

 

Jarrell Miller

"Even since I was four or five years old, I’ve always known I was gonna box.  Always known I was gonna box.  But I got into kickboxing.  But I didn’t know when I was gonna start to box. I just knew that I always loved to fight, but I didn’t when that was gonna happen and kickboxing was the start of it."

 

David Diamante - Ring Announcer

"He was a big kid with a big heart and Jarrell, he's always had a great attitude, and he’s always worked hard, and he's been really tough. I've seen, I’ve announced a lot of his fights, so I got to see him progress and grow as a fighter and as a man. And I just watched him grow, and he’s had some really big fights and he’s really grown, and now he’s one of the top heavyweights in the world."

 

"Jarrell's been fighting for a long time, so he’s seen a lot of things. Jarrell's dangerous and I think they know that, and that’s why it's going to be a little bit hard for him to get that big fight, because he’s dangerous and they might be scared that, you know, they're going to lose the strap to a guy like him. But I see him as world champion, without a doubt."

 

A Belizean In Brooklyn

 

Jules Vasquez

"You live a fairly regular life for a Belizean American, apart from the fact that you are a world class fighter. Explain to me how you carry that with you, that Belizean-ness, it’s in you."

 

Jarrell Miller

"Yeah, for sure, because I was raised around my family, who’s mostly Belizean, you know, so it’s like down the block it's my Aunt Marion, who's literally a mile away, and then my other uncle and aunt is two miles away, you know. I got my momma who is still in Queens, who is about four or five miles away, So my family is not that far from me, which I'm lucky to have. So should anything, God forbid, happen, I can always get a plate of food down the block."

 

Love Affair With Belizean Food

 

Jarrell Miller

"So I think being big and eating Johnny cake for breakfast is what I need and that’s what's been getting me there and getting me these wins and staying true to my roots."

 

Jules Vasquez

"When you came to Belize, when you landed on Sunday what was the first thing you wanted to eat?"

 

Jarrell Miller

"Actually, I wanted meatpie but we got Chiney Fired Chicken, Friendship, you know, we gone lick off two plate of that real quick. You know we go to chiney man shop and grab some lee groceries and candies and snack, you know. Things you can't find. We had the gibnut too. Yeah, I forgot about the gibnut! They call me the King rat eater, now (laughs)."

 

Not Becoming “The Broke Boxerâ€￾

 

Jarrell Miller

"I opened up my first martial arts school when I was 20, and I’m on my second one now, I started at 27, which is in Astoria, Queens, New York.  And my next goal is investing in a lot of property and land and working on a real estate, land kind of thing in New York right now.  But also investing in Belize. You know, there are some things that I’ve seen that I feel like can make money but also give back to the people of Belize as well too, which I’m looking into. I feel that every cheque that I get, you put some aside, you have a little fun with and you invest some of it. Every cheque you have to do that. Because eventually you know, I can’t fight forever, so next thing is, you know, maybe I might harvest coconut water, you never know, you know?"

 

David Diamante

"And, he’s a smart guy, you listen to him he has a lot to say and I love that about him, so when I hear him it makes me proud. Big up to you on that one."

 

Jarrell’s Message For Kids

 

David Diamante

"You know, Jarrell, he’s got a big heart as far as a fighter, but he also has a big heart as far as giving.  And it’s a really big part of his program that he wants to give back."

 

Jarrell Miller

"And the main thing is just having faith, and going towards your goals, doesn't matter if I sold coconut water today, you might have to sell coconut water tomorrow. The main thing is to stay focused and believe in yourselfand try to surround yourself with kids that admire and have same views as you because if you have one kid that likes to smoke and drink that's a far away from your goals, so hang out with the other kid selling coconut water that has ambition and you have a goal in mind and the main thing is having faith and believing in god because anything is possible when you have god but if not you gonna be sorry, so believe."

 

Miller is in Belize with his family on vacation.  World renowned Ring Announcer David Diamante is accompanying him. They are being hosted by his brother in law, City Councillor Jason Edwards - who is showing him the sights.