Deontay Wilder Expects to Snuff Out Jared Anderson
A matchup proposed for later this year is between former WBC heavyweight champion Deontay “The Bronze Bomber” Wilder (43-2-1, 42 KOs) and the talented upstart Jared “The Real Big Baby” Anderson (17-0, 15 KOs). Wilder believes Anderson is trying to bite off more than he can chew.
The possible contest is being proposed by Turki Alalshikh, the Saudi Arabian government official who has made a name for himself in boxing over the last few years. He desires to have it occur in August on the undercard of the battle between WBA junior middleweight champion Israil Madrimov and welterweight champion Terence Crawford.
READY TO HAND OUT A FEW LESSONS
Wilder is currently training for a June 1 fight against Zhilei Zhang. During an exclusive interview with the media outlet Sportsbook Review, the former champion said he welcomes a fight against Anderson with open arms. But he gave this stern warning for the ambitious 24-year-old:
“I do think that for (Anderson), it’s way too high of a step for him fighting me. Everybody knows it, and he knows it as well. You have to say these things to convince yourself and to promote yourself, and we understand that.
But there’s one thing saying it and another doing. And on the night, if everything comes to fruition and I’m not injured from the Zhang fight, and it all goes well . . . It’s going to be a great fight while it lasts.”
Despite the boasts and Wilder rhetoric, serious questions hover over the 38-year-old. He’s coming off a unanimous decision loss to Joseph Parker in December 2023. What was disturbing was that Wilder looked listless and far from the fighter of his championship days.
Plenty of pundits have questioned the mental maturity of Anderson. But there are no questions about his talent. The Real Big Baby has as much ability and skill as anyone in the division. Wilder claims that he has his hunger back. However, various members of the community have questioned whether he’s faded and a shell of himself.
Assuming that Wilder gets past Zhang in June, does he have enough to tame and humble Anderson? It would be one of the most intriguing matchups in all of boxing – a literal match between the old lion and the young cub.
