Jared Anderson Under Fire for Not Facing Stiffer Competition
Jared “The Real Big Baby” Anderson (17-0, 15 KOs) believes he’s the future of the heavyweight division. If that is the case, it’s time for him to start proving his case. That begins with his promoter, Top Rank, who needs to step up his level of competition.
FAR FROM SATISFACTORY
Anderson is coming off a unanimous decision victory over Ryad Merhy on April 13 in Corpus Christi, Texas. While Big Baby won dominantly, the action was less than scintillating.
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Fans were booing throughout as Merhy offered very little resistance. Multi-divisional champion Abdul Wahid, aka Gervonta “Tank” Davis, gave a stinging assessment of Anderson in a now-deleted post on social media.
Anderson’s physical ability is clear to anyone who has seen him fight. The native of Toledo, Ohio is fast, skilled, and has rare athleticism for a heavyweight.
But the 24-year-old has faced mainly C-level opponents. His biggest test occurred in July 2023 when he scored a ten-round unanimous decision over former IBF champion Charles Martin. But the public wants to see more from The Real Big Baby.
Top Rank also promotes Efe Ajaba, who scored a split-decision victory over Guido Vianello on the undercard of Anderson versus Merhy. Ajagba is ranked fourth by the WBC. A fight between Anderson and Ajagba is an excellent matchup and a potential WBC world title eliminator. Another fighter willing to face Anderson in a heartbeat is the tough and hard-hitting Martin Bakole.
The Ohio native is ranked fourth by the WBO and fifth by the WBC and IBF. It’s time for Top Rank to put Anderson in the ring with a quality, in their prime, top-ten opponent to shake off the critics and show how good he is.
