Bob Arum has worked with a number of heavyweight icons in boxing.
His lengthy promotional career began in the 1960s working alongside the legendary Muhammad Ali, before then promoting fights involving fellow great Mike Tyson in the 1980s.
Recently, Arum has promoted current top heavyweight Tyson Fury, guiding his career since 2019 as they helped him defeat Deontay Wilder to win the WBC heavyweight title, before his two memorable fights with Oleksandr Usyk last year.
It is another Top Rank heavyweight that Arum says is going to make an almighty comeback in 2025 though, and that is American hopeful Jared Anderson.
‘Big Baby’ was seen as one of the best prospects in the division, having put together a record of 17-0 with 15 knockouts, defeating the likes of Charles Martin, Jerry Forrest and Andrii Rudenko along the way.
It all came crashing down in his last contest though, as Anderson was dropped multiple times on his way to a fifth round knockout defeat to Martin Bakole in Los Angeles in August.
Anderson now returns on February 14 to take on Marios Kollias on the Denys Berinchyk vs. Keyshawn Davis undercard at Madison Square Garden Theater in New York, and Arum has declared that ‘Big Baby’ will get back to his best.
“I still believe Jared Anderson is one of the most formidable heavyweights in the world, and I expect him to return with a vengeance this year.”
Anderson is still fairly ranked with the WBO and IBF, and so a victory over Kollias should put him back on track to work his way up the rankings.
As for his former foe Bakole, the Congo man looks set for an IBF final eliminator fight against Efe Ajagba, but that hasn’t stopped him from sending a huge warning out to Anthony Joshua.
