Tag: Jared Anderson

Heavyweight contender Jared Anderson defeated Charles Martin by a unanimous decision Saturday at Huntington Center in Toledo, Ohio, Anderson’s hometown.

The official scores were 99-90, 99-90 and 98-91. Boxing Junkie also scored 99-90, nine rounds to one for Anderson.

Anderson (15-0, 14 KOs) failed to scored a knockout for the first time in his professional career but he gained valuable experience against a veteran opponent.

The 23-year-old rising star put Martin (29-4-1, 26 KOs) down in the final seconds of the third round, the only time either man touched the canvas.

However, Anderson endured the scariest moment of his career two rounds later, when Martin, a southpaw, hurt him with a straight left and followed with many more hard, accurate power shots.

Anderson bounced back well in Round 6, doing what he did for most of the rest of the fight. That was to stalk Martin, fight behind his jab and land more than enough accurate power shots to win rounds.

You can read a full report here.

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Lightweight prospect Abdullah Mason (9-0, 8 KOs) of Cleveland knocked out Alex de Oliveira (20-5, 14 KOs) of Brazil at 2:18 of the second round of a scheduled six-rounder.

Mason outclassed his opponent from the opening bell, outboxing him in the first round and then putting him down and out in the second.

***

Heavyweight contender Makhmudov (18-0, 17 KOs) of Russia stopped Raphael Akpejori (15-2, 14 KOs) of Nigeria in the second round of a scheduled 10-round bout.

Makhmudov put Akpejori down twice in the first round and once in the second, prompting the referee to stop the fight

***

Rising young heavyweight contender Jared Anderson will face veteran Charles Martin on Saturday at Huntington Center in Toledo, Ohio, Anderson’s hometown (ESPN, ESPN+).

The fighters weighed in on Friday. Anderson (14-0, 14 KOs) came in at 243.4 pounds, Martin (29-3-1, 26 KOs) at 250.5.

The featured bouts on the card begin at 10 p.m. ET / 7 p.m. PT. The main event will take place later in the show.

Boxing Junkie will post the results of the main event and other featured bouts immediately after they end. Simply return to this post and refresh when the time comes.

Full coverage – a fight story, photo gallery and analysis – will follow on separate posts the day of the fight and the following day.

Enjoy the fights!

[lawrence-related id=37955,37940,34691,27263]

Jared Anderson already is a sensation in his hometown of Toledo, Ohio. The world could be next.

The 23-year-old heavyweight contender, who has stopped all 14 of his professional opponents, will face his toughest test so far when he takes on former titleholder Charles Martin on Saturday at Huntington Center in Toledo.

Anderson’s first main event will be televised on ESPN and ESPN+, which is a milestone. And this is the first time he’ll fight in his old stomping grounds.

“This is super special,” Anderson said Thursday at the final news conference before the event. “I’m super excited. I’m the talk of the town. It’s a new feeling. I’m happy to be here. I’m happy to embrace it. I’m happy to be an inspiration for the kids.”

Anderson is being marketed by Top Rank as the next great heavyweight.

So far so good. He has employed a lethal combination of athleticism, ability and power to destroy everyone in his path, making him a potential star in the sport’s glamour division.

However, it’s a step-by-step process. And Martin might be his biggest step yet.

Anderson had been scheduled to fight unbeaten slugger Zhan Kossobutskiy of Khazakhstan but Kossobutskiy was pulled from the card less than two weeks ago because he couldn’t procure a visa.

Martin, who immediately agreed to step in, could be a more difficult opponent for Anderson.

The 37-year-old from St. Louis has had ups and downs. He briefly held the IBF belt in 2016 but was stopped by Anthony Joshua in his first defense and was knocked out by Luis Ortiz after he had put the Cuban down twice early last year.

So who knows what we’ll see from him on Saturday? One thing is obvious, though: He has a solid skill set and top-tier punching power, as well as more experience than Anderson.

Anderson said he’s not concerned about the adjustment to a new opponent on short notice. Both Kossobutskiy and Martin are left-handed, which will have helped him make the transition.

“I come prepared for anything and everything,” he said. “Luckily, he is still a southpaw. I think that was the biggest reason that we chose him after the change. He’s also a bigger name. He is a former world champion. He has fought a few world titleholders as well.

“… It didn’t throw a monkey wrench in the plan, but it definitely made us go back to the drawing board, look at the tapes, and come back with a plan.”

Meanwhile, Martin (29-3-1, 26 KOs) is embracing the opportunity to reclaim some of the status he lost.

He said he had been training when he got the call to fight Anderson. He last fought in September, when he rebounded from the loss to Ortiz by stopping Devin Vargas in four rounds in Los Angeles, where he’s based.

“I was happy when I got the call,” Martin said. “I had been putting in a lot of work, so I was happy that the hard work was finally paying off. I’ve dedicated myself fully. I leave no stones unturned. You can’t do that in this game.

“I’m up for the challenge. He’s a big, strong, young lion. And I’m here.”

All of Anderson’s opponents have showed up. They just haven’t lasted long.

[lawrence-related id=37940,34691]

Jared Anderson already is a sensation in his hometown of Toledo, Ohio. The world could be next.

The 23-year-old heavyweight contender, who has stopped all 14 of his professional opponents, will face his toughest test so far when he takes on former titleholder Charles Martin on Saturday at Huntington Center in Toledo.

Anderson’s first main event will be televised on ESPN and ESPN+, which is a milestone. And this is the first time he’ll fight in his old stomping grounds.

“This is super special,” Anderson said Thursday at the final news conference before the event. “I’m super excited. I’m the talk of the town. It’s a new feeling. I’m happy to be here. I’m happy to embrace it. I’m happy to be an inspiration for the kids.”

Anderson is being marketed by Top Rank as the next great heavyweight.

So far so good. He has employed a lethal combination of athleticism, ability and power to destroy everyone in his path, making him a potential star in the sport’s glamour division.

However, it’s a step-by-step process. And Martin might be his biggest step yet.

Anderson had been scheduled to fight unbeaten slugger Zhan Kossobutskiy of Khazakhstan but Kossobutskiy was pulled from the card less than two weeks ago because he couldn’t procure a visa.

Martin, who immediately agreed to step in, could be a more difficult opponent for Anderson.

The 37-year-old from St. Louis has had ups and downs. He briefly held the IBF belt in 2016 but was stopped by Anthony Joshua in his first defense and was knocked out by Luis Ortiz after he had put the Cuban down twice early last year.

So who knows what we’ll see from him on Saturday? One thing is obvious, though: He has a solid skill set and top-tier punching power, as well as more experience than Anderson.

Anderson said he’s not concerned about the adjustment to a new opponent on short notice. Both Kossobutskiy and Martin are left-handed, which will have helped him make the transition.

“I come prepared for anything and everything,” he said. “Luckily, he is still a southpaw. I think that was the biggest reason that we chose him after the change. He’s also a bigger name. He is a former world champion. He has fought a few world titleholders as well.

“… It didn’t throw a monkey wrench in the plan, but it definitely made us go back to the drawing board, look at the tapes, and come back with a plan.”

Meanwhile, Martin (29-3-1, 26 KOs) is embracing the opportunity to reclaim some of the status he lost.

He said he had been training when he got the call to fight Anderson. He last fought in September, when he rebounded from the loss to Ortiz by stopping Devin Vargas in four rounds in Los Angeles, where he’s based.

“I was happy when I got the call,” Martin said. “I had been putting in a lot of work, so I was happy that the hard work was finally paying off. I’ve dedicated myself fully. I leave no stones unturned. You can’t do that in this game.

“I’m up for the challenge. He’s a big, strong, young lion. And I’m here.”

All of Anderson’s opponents have showed up. They just haven’t lasted long.

[lawrence-related id=37940,34691]