Jared Anderson sported a T-shirt purely for advertising purposes as he weighed in for his third bout of the year.
The unbeaten heavyweight contender proudly lifted his shirt to flash his chiseled physique after his announced weight of 239.6 pounds for his second straight ESPN main event. He faces Ukraine’s Andriy Rudenko, who tipped the scales at 244.3 pounds for their scheduled ten-round bout.
Anderson-Rudenko tops an ESPN-televised heavyweight doubleheader this Saturday from Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
Anderson (15-0, 14KOs) enjoys a quick ring turnaround, which speaks to his readiness considering he went all ten-rounds for the first time in his career just eight weeks ago. That moment came in a well-earned, unanimous decision victory over former IBF heavyweight titlist Charles Martin atop a July 1 ESPN telecast from his hometown of Toledo, Ohio.
The fight marked his first time going to the scorecards or having been extended beyond the sixth round. Anderson took less than a week break before he entered training camp for this bout.
Rudenko (35-6, 21KOs) makes his U.S. debut in Saturday’s headliner. The bout is his second on the road, as he is unable to fight at home due to the ongoing Russo-Ukraine war.
The evening’s co-feature pits mid-level contender Efe Ajagba (17-1, 13KOs) and fast-rising Zhan Kossobutskiy (19-0, 18KOs) in a scheduled 10-round heavyweight bout.
Ajagba—a 2012 Nigerian Olympian now based out of the greater Houston area—was 236 ½ pounds. Kazakhstan’s Kossobutskiy was 234.4 pounds for his U.S. debut. The unbeaten heavyweight was due to face Anderson in July but was forced to withdraw when he could not secure his travel visa in time.
Appearing off TV, Bakhodir Jalolov (12-0, 12KOs) was 253.6 pounds for his first fight of 2023 and on a Top Rank show. The undefeated Uzbek heavyweight knockout artist—who won Gold during the delayed 2020 Tokyo Olympics)—faces Nigeria’s Onoriode Ehwarieme (20-2, 19KOs), who was 224.9 pounds for their scheduled eight-round contest.
ESPN+ Undercard weights (6:50 p.m. ET/5:50 p.m. local time)
Bruce Carrington (8-0, KOs), Brooklyn, New York, 126.7 pounds vs. Angel Antonio Contreras (13-6-2, 7KOs), Monterrey, Mexico, 126.8 pounds—8 rounds, feahterweight
Jeremiah Milton (10-0, 7KOs), Las Vegas via Tulsa, 254.4 pounds vs. Craig Lewis (15-6-1, 8KOs), Detroit, 260.4 pounds—8 rounds, heavyweight
Nico Ali Walsh (8-0, 5KOs), Las Vegas via Chicago, 159.1 pounds vs. Sona Akale (7-1, KOs), 157.9 pounds—6 rounds, middleweight
Abdullah Mason (9-0, 8KOs), Cleveland, Ohio, 134.9 pounds vs. Cesar Villarraga (10-7-1, 5KOs), Bogota, Colombia, 134.7 pounds—6 rounds, lightweight
Ablaikhan Zhussupov (3-0, 2KOs), Karaganda, Kazakhstan, 149.7 pounds vs. Wiston Campos (33-11-6, 19KOs, Managua, Nicaragua, 149.8 pounds—8 rounds, junior welterweight
Charly Suarez (15-0, 9KOs), Manila, Philippines, 130.6 pounds vs. Yohan Vasquez (25-3, 20KOs), The Bronx via Santiago de los Caballeros, D.R 129.6 pounds—10 rounds, junior lightweight
Jake Donovan is a senior writer for BoxingScene.com. Twitter: @JakeNDaBox