Unbeaten heavyweight contender Jared Anderson is, for many people, the future of the heavyweight division. The 22 year old who is currently 12-0(12) spoke with Sky Sports, and he said that when he is fighting for a world title, there will be “nobody around.” The current champions are, as Anderson explained “in their 30s, trying to retire or talking about retirement.”
Anderson wants to take on and defeat a number of names as he earns his shot at the heavyweight title or titles.
“I would love to fight a lot of people,” Anderson said. “Filip Hrgovic, Carlos Takam, Daniel Dubois, there’s a million names I could name, a lot of different people. All the contenders, prospects, all the ones coming out, Luis Ortiz, Andy Ruiz, all them, anybody. I’d love to fight anybody. I love that fight [with Dubois]. I watched his Joe Joyce fight, I seen why he lost. He’s still a decent fighter though.”
Anderson himself is better than decent in the opinion of many, and the sky does seem to be the limit. A switch-hitter with power, speed and explosiveness, the only knock some critics have had on Anderson is his arguably leaky defence. This may have to be tightened up. But at age 22, Anderson is still learning and he has plenty of time in which to do so. Is Anderson ready for the big names he has listed?
“I gave myself a C+, maybe a B- at the most [for my most recent fight],” Anderson said. “I know my capabilities and what I’m good at. I think I’ve got so much more room to grow and so much more to accomplish. They see I switch-hit. They see I do it from different stances. I’m different. I tell people all the time. I’m just different. I don’t know how to explain it. I’m different. I can’t really put nothing to my style, I’m fast, I’m explosive and I like fighting.”
Todd duBoef of Top Rank says Anderson will be ready for a big test in “10 to 12 months” and that if/when he passes such a test, the team will decide whether or not he’s ready for a title shot. duBoef says he would like to see Anderson go the full 12 rounds in a fight, that this will arm him with the experience he needs to go all the way.
It will be very interesting to see who Anderson fights next, whether he will be matched with a Dubois, a Hrgovic, or an Ortiz. It promises to be fun following Anderson’s career, that’s for sure.