'Big Baby' will take on heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua at Madison Square Garden on June 1

Tyson Fury claims Jarrell Miller down seven times during sparring before sending the American packing after just one day.

Miller, 30, was last week confirmed as heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua’s next opponent and will challenge him for his WBA, IBF and WBO titles at Madison Square Garden, New York on June 1.

2 Jarrell Miller will face AJ in New York

Fury, the former world heavyweight champion, has now revealed he hired Miller all the way back in 2011 as a sparring partner, with the aim of him being in his camp for at least two weeks.

“I was back home in Morecambe and I needed a sparring partner,” Fury said, as quoted by The Sun. “The first person that sprang to mind was Jarrell Miller, I thought he’ll be good sparring for me.

“Obviously I wasn’t a world champion at the time, he came over to Morecambe and we sparred at a local gym.

“I’m not going to go into too much detail, but I hired him for two weeks sparring, I ended up sending him back home after one day sparring.

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“I put him down seven times in the first spar and I sent him home packing back to the USA.”

Miller, a former kickboxer, is unbeaten in 24 fights as a professional, but was Joshua’s fourth-choice target after a deal to fight one of Deontay Wilder, Dillian Whyte or Fury could not be agreed upon.

“Jarrell is from Brooklyn and stuff like that, but they don’t even know him in his own city,” WBC champion Wilder said of Miller to talkSPORT.

“He’s not a name that’s been developed in the market here so for me I don’t think it’s gonna be a great look for him because even Anthony’s not that known here in America.

“The people that does know him, they know about $50million, they know about the story of the $15million flat and why the fight is not happening.

2 Fury says he put Miller down seven times in sparring

“So I don’t think they’re gonna accept it very well, but we’re gonna see.”

Surprisingly, Fury was more complimentary of the bout, which will see Joshua make his debut across the pond.

“I think it’s a good fight. Two undefeated fighters and may the best man win,” said Fury.

“I’m not going to sit here and slag it off, it’s a great boxing fight, defending a world championship.

“Jarrell and me go way back to 2011, he is a nice fella – I’ve known him for a long time.

“I wish him all the very best in the fight but at the end of the day I hope Anthony Joshua knocks him into next week, because he’s a British lad and I hope he wins.”