Jared Anderson was being built up by Top Rank as a potential heavyweight contender – and then Anderson came crumbling down.
He was stopped in five rounds by Martin Bakole in August in Los Angeles on the undercard of Israil Madrimov-Terence Crawford – a Riyadh Season promotion.
Bob Arum of Top Rank says that’s not his organization’s fault.
“It wasn’t us,” Arum told the Fight Freaks Unite podcast. “His Excellency Turki Alalshikh went right to the fighter and made this proposal for money that the fighter had never seen before and picked as his opponent, this Bakole, who is a tremendous puncher. And Jared prepared as of then to deal with a guy who couldn’t move very much, but was a great puncher. And he never fought a guy like that. And so the fact that he got taken apart and knocked out was not surprising.
“So don’t put it on my matchmakers. We were against that fight. But again, you know, when they wave money at these kids, they can insist on taking it. Now, we could have gone into court to prevent it, but we don’t do those kind of things. So we let the fight go ahead. You know, we made our money from the fight, but we let that fight go ahead. And it was the stupidest fight that Jared could have taken.”
Of course, it is also the matchmaker’s job to develop their fighter so he is prepared for what he will face. And the heavyweight division in particular is where one heavy punch can change a fight.
If Arum thought the Bakole bout was a stupid fight to take, he definitely – and understandably – wasn’t saying so publicly beforehand.
“Jared’s up for the challenge,” Arum told Sky Sports in June. “I think he’ll do well. But Bakole is a very, very tough fighter. [Bakole has a] great punch. But we have confidence that Jared will beat him and Jared has the ability, we believe, to go all the way in the heavyweight division. […] I think Jared is a very, very good fighter. He’s now become a real professional. This is his biggest test yet, and I think he’ll come through well. But we’ll see.”
Hindsight is 20-20. But there were some warning signs with the 24-year-old Anderson, both with his public struggles surrounding his mental health, as well as with his potential in the boxing ring.
In the summer of 2023, ahead of his fight with the former heavyweight titleholder Charles Martin, Anderson spoke with Roy Jones Jnr for a feature segment.
“My toughest fight is outside the ring,” Anderson told Jones. “My hardest fight so far in life [is] just staying the course and trying to stay true to who I am, but keeping a steady, clear mind to the top.”
“I know I’m good at this and I know I can have fun in this, but this might not just be what completely makes me happy,” Anderson said to Jones at another point.
It was a fair insight. None of us should be wholly defined by our work, and for fighters, boxing can dictate their life for years on end, from childhood.
Jones responded by talking about Anderson’s obligation to succeed and how he would let people down if he quit.
“But it’s the pressure, though,” Anderson responded, tears in his eyes and emotion in his voice. “I’m 23.”
Jones: “Sometimes there’s a lot put on us, but it’s put on us because we’re the ones that can take it. Jared may not think he can sometimes. Jared may get messed up sometimes. But Jared can wear these shoes. That’s why Jared has it.”
Anderson: “But Jared ain’t ask for it.”
Anderson took some unfair mocking for this segment, especially given the “Big Baby” nickname he’s long had. Yet there was cause for concern that perhaps Anderson is approaching this as his job — and perhaps begrudgingly continuing with his career could hamper the potential he otherwise had.
He struggled a bit against Martin, who was a late replacement opponent in that bout in July 2023. Anderson scored a legi-but-flash knockdown in the third round. Two rounds later, Martin had Anderson hurt and reeling. Anderson was able to recover and took a wide decision victory. Anderson was then back in the ring less than two months later, dispatching Andrii Rudenko in five rounds in late August 2023.
But then there was an arrest in November 2023 that started with a traffic stop for speeding and led to accusations of him driving under the influence and a firearms charge. The following February, he allegedly led police on a chase that ended with Anderson crashing his car.
In April, Anderson won a wide but dreary decision over Ryad Merhy, who seemed content to do little beyond surviving until the final bell. It’s also possible that Anderson saw the Bakole fight not only for the significant money he would earn but for the opportunity to make a big splash.
Instead of making a big splash, he got taken into the deep end and was unable to stay afloat.
Anderson will turn 25 in November. He is 17-1 (15 KOs). He just became a father, according to Arum. And so whenever Anderson does return to the ring, Top Rank will attempt to rebuild him.
“He’s still a very talented young man,” Arum said. “He’s very young. Bruce [Trampler] and Brad [Goodman] are great matchmakers, working with Carl Moretti, and they’ll find a way to bring him back.”
David Greisman, who has covered boxing since 2004, is on Twitter @FightingWords2 and @UnitedBoxingPod. He is the co-host of the United Boxing Podcast. David’s book, “Fighting Words: The Heart and Heartbreak of Boxing,” is available on Amazon.
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