James Miller (parachutist)
James Miller (1963-2003) was a parachuter from Henderson, Nevada, who became famous after he landed inside the ring where the rematch boxing fight between Evander Holyfield and Riddick Bowe was being held on November 6, 1993, at Las Vegas.
Miller had rented a plane for the occasion. During the seventh round of that bout, Miller made his unexpected appearance, landing just next to a corner as Holyfield had Bowe on the ropes. His action provoked a mini-riot, he was beaten by the Bowe security detail, and the fight was stopped for about twenty minutes.
James Miller became known, after that, as the fan man. He was featured on many magazines and television sports news shows, and his name became commonly heard at late night television shows.
When ESPN went searching for Miller to film a Sportscenter feature to be shown during the tenth anniversary of his stunt, it was discovered that Miller had committed suicide in March: A group of hunters had found a decomposing body in Alaska, and it was identified as James Miller.
