Jared Anderson‘s rise through the heavyweight ranks was painfully halted by Martin Bakole uppercuts.
The American was largely regarded as the nation’s next heavyweight hope with former world champion Deontay Wilder coming to the end of his career.
A win against Congolese fighter Bakole would have certainly proved that to be the case, but Anderson was floored in the first and his impressive movement only lasted until the fifth when he hit the canvas twice more before being saved by the referee after another thudding flurry of shots.
Bakole left the ring with a career invigorated and plenty of new fans, whilst the young man from Toledo, Ohio must lick his wounds and face a test of mental fortitude to come back.
In a clip shared on TikTok, Anderson – who took the defeat impressively both in the ring and with his words more recently – said to his promoter, Bob Arum, “I’m going home to my daughter, I’m not worried about nobody or nothing.”
Arum, who has been in the game since 1966 and guided some of the greatest heavyweights of all time, reassured him that the future could still be bright.
“I know, and you’re right. There’ll always be tomorrow. Don’t worry. We’re gonna bring you back like nothing happened. And this time you’ll be bigger and better than ever.”
It’s an admirable approach in the days that undefeated records mean so much to fighters and their marketability. At 24, Anderson certainly will come again, but many are looking with hindsight at the matchmaking – although some pointed it out in advance – and wondering if it was a fight that made sense at all from a promotional standpoint.
In the sport, up-and-comers being tested and boogeymen having to show and prove is undoubtedly a good thing. Unfortunately for Jared Anderson, this time it was him who suffered the consequences of an active and competitive heavyweight division.
