Jared Anderson’s Impressive 2022 And What 2023 Might Bring

By James Slater - 12/12/2022 - Comments

Which young and upcoming fighter has most impressed you here in 2022? Chances are you might say unbeaten 23 year old heavyweight Jared Anderson. The man from Toledo, Ohio had a year in which he was less active than he would have liked, yet “Big Baby,” as the fun-loving, costume-wearing Anderson is known, sure made a big impression all the same.

Anderson, who at 6’4” and around 240 pounds, is a plenty big enough heavyweight in these days of the giants, is also fast of hand, he has shown, in his thus far short fights, a good engine, and Anderson’s desire to get the KO has left fans wanting more. So far, no opponent has gone more than six rounds with Anderson, with ten of his foes having fallen in a couple of rounds.

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As with any fighter at the stage of his career Anderson is at now, questions marks remain: How will Anderson’s chin hold up if he gets cracked with a bomb? As naturally aggressive and keen to throw leather as he is, will Anderson’s gas tank serve him well in a hard 12 rounder? Is Anderson’s defence a little leaky, as concerned as he is on his own attack?

But so far there certainly is a lot to get excited about with Anderson. Saturday night’s virtual wipe out of the tough, durable and experienced Jerry Forrest saw Anderson go from prospect to contender, his big and explosive win one that could not have left a fan feeling anything other than impressed. Anderson did take a few shots to the head in the fight, and his chin was absolutely fine.

2023 promises to be a big year for Anderson. Having had four fights in 2021 and having wanted to have as many this year but being unable to do so due to injury (Anderson’s scheduled appearance on the Tyson Fury-Dillian Whyte card was pulled), Anderson wants to have an active 2023. But Anderson will be looking at top-15 guys to fight now, maybe top-10 guys. Having already called out the likes of Whyte and another Brit in Daniel Dubois, the 23 year old is aiming to crack the world’s Top-10. Who thinks he won’t do it next year?

Here are some guys Anderson could fight:

Dillian Whyte.

Anderson has called Whyte a “bum” who he wants fed to him. Dillian Whyte is coming off a tough decision win over Jermaine Franklin and he has in his sights a potential rematch with Anthony Joshua. But if AJ goes another route, then maybe Whyte will respond to Anderson’s insulting call-out.

Jermaine Franklin.

Franklin pushed Whyte hard in their fight, with the previously unbeaten fighter left feeling robbed. Maybe Franklin could look to bounce back in a big way with a win over Anderson? Interestingly, Franklin, in his 2019 fight with Jerry Forrest, won via debatable split decision.

Michael Hunter.

Hunter has struggled as of late, being largely inactive and having struggled mightily with Forrest in his last fight, this being a December 2021 draw that should have gone Forrest’s way. At one time, though, Michael Hunter looked to be on the way to doing good things. Maybe a fight with the red-hot Anderson and the opportunity that would go with it will appeal to Hunter?

Daniel Dubois.

Might Anderson like the idea of taking Dubois’ “regular” version of the WBA heavyweight title? Dubois, powerful yet also vulnerable, survived a real scare in his last fight, when Keven Lerena dropped him three times in the opening round. Yet Dubois has been calling for the big names, such as Whyte and Joshua. But maybe a battle of young punchers in the form of Anderson-Dubois could come next?

Who would YOU like to see Anderson fight next?