No matter the trainer, the amateur pedigree, the ticket sales, or the indications of physical talent, every new prospect is a risk investment. Even when the most wizened boxing minds think they know, they don’t really know until some critical things happen.
Especially at heavyweight.
Especially one critical thing.
What happens when they get tagged?
Jared Anderson has buzz as perhaps the best American heavyweight hopeful right now. Even if one wouldn’t mark him the brightest light among all rising talents in the division (that’s probably Uzbeki Olympic Gold medalist Bakhodir Jalolov), US prospects carry potential to build into the lucrative US pay-per-view market.
Fighters can get rich in lots of places, especially with Saudi money in the game. The most consistent big money pots still reside stateside.
On Saturday, Anderson passed his latest test with a lopsided decision over former titlist Charles Martin. It was an entertaining enough affair that kept Anderson’s unbeaten mark intact, with a knockdown in the third round as cushion.
It also gave some signs of what happens when Anderson gets tagged.The verdict: so far, so good. Following the knockdown, Martin regrouped, got Anderson in trouble in the fifth, and kept the younger man honest all night. Anderson used his jab, combinations, and pressure to stay winning most of the rounds but Martin kept landing just enough to add drama.
The drama played out until the closing seconds of the tenth and final round when Martin buzzed Anderson again. It was enough for a win and more than enough to have something to learn from.
Futures: For Martin, the result was probably the most it could be without a win. Martin’s effort against Luis Ortiz and then again Saturday night are the sort that have given his career a deeper respect than it had when he was dismissed by Anthony Joshua after briefly holding a belt.
Martin will likely always be forgettable among titlists at heavyweight, a beneficiary of circumstances and vacancies and the oddities of sanctioning body rankings. He’s still proven an honest, tough professional who gets the most out of what he’s got. Saturday will get him more work in the future as others look to test talents who need to find out what happens when.
Anderson is still green and showed it Saturday. His defense is messy, he pulls straight back, and he overextends on a lot of punches which will open him to even harder counters in the future. Those are all things he can work on and improve. Anderson has a good jab, speed, and is a fluid puncher. This corner isn’t sold on him just yet but weathering a storm the first time one lands is always promising and his continued development is worth following.
For those investing in Anderson, it’s also still a sound investment.
Cliff’s Notes…
It wasn’t the most active of boxing weekends but it did have some notable moments…Apparently Roy Jones in the metaverse wasn’t all that captivating. This does not sound surprising…Savannah Marshall is now an undisputed champion at super middleweight, a solid rebound from her loss in a middleweight unification to Claressa Shields. The result will have to be what matters most because the scrap with Franchon Crews-Dezurn was a bit of an eyesore. Lots of clubbing and clinching with Marshall’s jab being the key to a new title. A Shields rematch is probably the richest option for both women, maybe with both undisputed crowns on the line to give the promotion an extra kick?
Cliff Rold is the Managing Editor of BoxingScene, a founding member of the Transnational Boxing Rankings Board, a member of the International Boxing Research Organization, and a member of the Boxing Writers Association of America.