Jared Anderson's quick rise in the heavyweight division came to a sudden halt. The 24-year-old American boxer suffered his first professional loss to Martin Bakole in Riyadh Season's first US show.
Anderson entered the fight with a perfect 16-0 record, including 14 knockouts. He had built a reputation as America's next potential world champion in the heavyweight division. His slick movement and eye for an early finish had served him well in previous bouts against Charles Martin, Andriy Rudenko, and Ryad Merhy.
But Bakole proved to be a different beast. The Congolese fighter's power and durability were too much for Anderson to handle. Bakole dropped Anderson in the first round and finished the fight in the fifth with two heavy knockdowns, prompting the referee to stop the contest.
Many fans felt the fight came too soon for Anderson. Veteran promoter Bob Arum shared this sentiment. In an interview with Maestro A, Arum explained:
"That fight was unfortunate. That's what happens when a fighter, who you're promoting and your matchmakers are moving correctly, is contacted by somebody else, offered a tremendous amount of money and insists to us he wants to take the money."
Arum revealed that his company, Top Rank, wouldn't have matched Anderson with Bakole at this stage of his career. He believed Anderson wasn't ready for such a tough opponent.
"We would never have booked him with Bakole at this point because he wasn't ready for that. You can't fight Bakole by out-slugging him. He's a very powerful guy, takes a good punch and he has a dynamite punch. Only way you can beat Bakole is to outbox him. You have to move. Jared hadn't learned that at this point."
Despite the setback, Anderson has taken the loss well and made no excuses. Arum remains optimistic about the young boxer's future, stating, "So, he made the money. I told him we gotta start again and I'm optimistic that the next chapter will be better."
For those interested in seeing how the fight unfolded, TNT Sports has provided video highlights of Bakole's victory over Anderson.
