Jared Anderson is being proclaimed as the next great American heavyweight and his promotional teammate Shakur Stevenson has heaped praise on the Top Rank contender.
Anderson faces Ryad Merhy on Saturday at the American Bank Center, Corpus Christi, Texas. The bout will be broadcast on ESPN.
Anderson (16-0, 15 KOs), 24, of Toledo, Ohio, is looking to make a statement.
Last year, he moved from an undercard fighter to a main event attraction and a boxer who Top Rank trusted to headline ESPN telecasts. The 31-year-old Merhy (32-2, 26 KOs) will look to stop the high hopes held by Anderson’s backers as the former cruiserweight world titleholder hopes to make a lasting impression in his U.S. debut.
In a video feature on Top Rank’s YouTube channel, Stevenson said, “[Anderson] can do stuff I can do. He can do stuff that smaller guys can do.”
Stevenson, a three-division world titlist and 2016 U.S. Olympic silver medalist, unified titles at junior lightweight. Many believed he would go after undisputed status – until he missed weight ahead of his fight with Robson Conceicao in September 2022.
Stevenson captured a vacant lightweight world title by defeating Edwin De Los Santos last fall and, explaining what he saw in Anderson, said: “He is a small guy in a big guy body.”
Stevenson added that it isn’t just Anderson’s physical gifts but his skill level that sets him apart. He even went so far as to say that Anderson’s ability could cement him as one of boxing’s best-ever heavyweights.
“The type of skills and talent [he has], he can reach the [Muhammad] Ali great level status … the Tyson Fury, the George Foreman, the Joe Frazier and all of the greats,” Stevenson said.
