Jared “The Real Big Baby” Anderson has solidified himself as one of the top heavyweight boxers in the industry.
Anderson, a Toledo native, is in his fourth year of professional boxing and quickly made a name for himself. He is ranked as the No. 12 heavyweight boxer in the nation and No. 53 internationally, according to BoxRec.
Anderson is 12-0, with all the victories delivered by knockouts. He has trained with Tyson Fury, a two-time world heavyweight champion, and has fought in the most historic site for boxing: Madison Square Garden.
He will face one of his biggest challenges on Saturday.
Anderson (12-0, 12 KOs) will square off against Jerry Forrest (26-5-2, 20 KOs) at Madison Square Garden for the second time in his career. The bout, a 10-round co-feature for the main event of Teofimo Lopez and Sandor Martin’s junior welterweight competition, will air at 9 p.m. on ESPN following the conclusion of the Heisman Trophy Ceremony.
Anderson’s fight is his first scheduled 10-round bout. He is preparing for Forrest’s toughness and mental durability.
“A lot of people take his mental durability for granted,” Anderson said. “People can get hit in the face and their whole plan and mindset change. But, with him, it kind of like eggs him on.
“I think that's one of those things why he's been a tough competitor and a veteran and has been in there with the greats.”
Forrest is the No. 6 heavyweight in the nation and No.31 in the world, according to BoxRec. Nearly 61 percent of his victories have been via knockout. In Forrest’s most recent bout, he lost a 10-round decision to Kubrat Pulev on May 14th.
Forrest has suffered only one knockout in his 10-year career.
“I learned a lot about myself with that fight,” Forrest said about his bout with Pulev during a news conference on Thursday. “That was my first fight with an injury. Just learning how to deal with an injury inside the ring, learning how to just make it work for you. I took a lot out of that.
“I had to make sure I went back to camp and fully healed first, make sure my body was fully settled and ready to go again.”
Anderson was sidelined for most of the year with a hand injury he suffered during training. The injury kept him out until Aug. 27, when he returned to the ring at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
He picked right back up from where he left off. Anderson collected his 12th victory with a second round knockout of Miljan Rovcanin (24-2).
Anderson concluded 2021 with a second round technical knockout of Oleksandr Teslenko in an eight-round bout.
“Everything was different about it,” Anderson said of competing in Madison Square Garden. “The people, the place, the smell, the feeling, it was all great. It was completely different. It was a huge fight for me. The only fight that I think could compare was the fight under Tyson Fury's card.
“The lights were just completely different in Madison Square Garden. So I don't think nothing so far has come close.”
First Published December 8, 2022, 11:27 p.m.
