Jared Anderson strolled to the center of the ring this past Saturday night, alone, like every fighter does. Boxing is a Mano e Mano sport and practically no one, outside of the referee, can save you.
Despite flying solo for three minutes at a time, Anderson, and the rest of his contemporaries, are given a minute to take a breather and more importantly, soak in some instructions. For most of his young career, Anderson, with all due respect to his corner, hasn’t really needed them on fight night. With Anderson blowing through just about everyone quickly, seldom did he even see the second or third round. This past Saturday night, however, Anderson (15-0, 14 KOs) needed all the help that he could get.
In the first main event of his career, Anderson took on former heavyweight champion, Charles Martin. After dropping his man in the third, things were going smoothly for Anderson. But, unlike most, Martin rose to his feet and not only continued to fight but ultimately, found success.
In the fourth and fifth rounds, Anderson appeared visibly hurt. He stumbled across the ring and was forced to hold onto Martin for long periods. Things got better for Anderson in the latter portion of their contest. And while he’s been lauded for making the right adjustments, Anderson admitted that his trainers pointed him in the right direction.
“I listened to my corner,” Anderson told a group of reporters. “I have 100% faith in my corner. I just listened to them and what they said.”
In addition to getting advice from his trainers, Anderson had a bit more help than usual.
Over the years, Anderson has built a tight bond with current pound-for-pound star and former multi-divisional champion Shakur Stevenson. The two are always around one another. Whether they’re out grabbing a bite to eat or even in the ring sparring, Stevenson and Anderson are practically joined at the hip.
Like always, Stevenson rooted for Anderson from his ringside seat and even took the time to escort Anderson to the ring. During some of those rough moments against Martin, Stevenson stood on his feet and shouted instructions. Whatever Stevenson told him to do seemingly worked. So, in addition to being thankful to his head trainers, Anderson gave his good friend a shoutout as well.
“I’m just thankful that Shakur was in the front row, he was doing the same thing.”