Jared Anderson Joins Forces With SugarHill Steward Ahead Of Bakole Showdown

Heavyweight contender Jared Anderson has added SugarHill Steward to his training team ahead of his August 3 battle with Martin Bakole.

It was reported last week that Anderson, 17-0 (15 KOs), had met with SugarHill – nephew of the great Emanuel Steward and the coach of Tyson Fury – and it’s now understood they started working together shortly thereafter. The bout with Bakole, who is ranked number one by the WBA, is part of the huge bill set for the BMO Stadium in Los Angeles headed by Terence Crawford taking on Israil Madrimov at 154lbs.

The event is the brainchild of Saudi Arabia’s Turki Alalshikh, Chairman of the General Entertainment Authority, and the highly influential figure is believed to have recommended SugarHill to the 24-year-old.

“I want to thank Jared Anderson for taking my advice and seeking out to coach and trainer Sugar Hill to train him for his upcoming fight,” Alalshikh said late Sunday on social media.

Anderson, from Toledo, is ranked fourth by the WBO, fifth by the WBC and IBF, and 13th by the WBA, though he is yet to test his credentials against an elite opponent. In his most noteworthy outings he outpointed former IBF boss Charles Martin over 10 rounds in July 2023 and, most recently, won via the same method against Ryad Merhy in April.

Bakole, born in Democratic Republic Of The Congo and based with trainer Billy Nelson in Scotland, will represent a sizeable step up for Anderson. The 31 year old has long claimed to have been avoided by the division’s best, and has victories over Sergey Kuzmin, Tony Yoka and Carlos Takam on his 21-1 (15 KOs) ledger.

Anderson had been trained by Darrie Riley, who first taught him to box.