A JEEP CHEROKEE pulls into the McDonald’s parking lot located at the intersections of Broad and Diamond Streets in North Philly, and former WBA cruiserweight title-holder Nate ‘Mr’ Miller steps out. He had suggested we meet there for the interview, but when asked if he would like some lunch, Miller says, “I don’t eat in places like this.” So, we decide to conduct the interview in his car.
Except for a few pounds and sprinkling of grey in his beard, Nate doesn’t look much different than when he retired from boxing in June 2001. As we reel back the years, he proves a candid and eccentric interviewee. The first hint of the latter was the voicemail message on his phone when I first called him: “This is Nate ‘Mr’ Miller, cruiserweight champ of universe.”
“I was raised in foster care,” Miller says. “I was put into the first one at the age of four until 12, and then in the second from 12 to 18. Both [foster] families were very nice. Later, I did meet my birth parents, and found out I was related to former light-heavyweight champion Harold
