Heavyweight Prospect Jared Anderson Set To Return on Sept. 5

Jared “The Real Big Baby” Anderson (5-0, 5KO) has been one of the breakout stars from Top Rank’s comeback season. The 20-year-old heavyweight prospect has fought twice inside The Bubble, scoring impressive stoppage victories over Johnnie Langston and Hector Perez.

The Toledo-native will now take his game to the next level when he meets heavyweight gatekeeper Rodney Hernandez ( 13-9-2, 4KO) on Saturday, Sept. 5. The 31-year-old Hernandez will be a step up in opposition for Anderson, and it will be a good gauge of where he currently sits development-wise.

Hernandez’s losses have come against decent opposition, including the likes of Zhilei Zhang and Joey Dawejko. Anderson has shown enough ability in the first five fights as a pro to suggest that provided he stays focused; he should walk away with the win next weekend. However, it will not just be about Anderson getting the win, but the manner of his victory that will interest fans and critics.

Hernandez has only been stopped twice in his career, and the two men to do that were Martin Bakole and recent PBC signee Efe Ajagba. If Anderson can become the third name added to that list, it would be a feather in his cap.

“I’ve made my home in the ‘Bubble’ this summer, and I’ve enjoyed coming to Las Vegas and putting on a heavyweight show for the fans. I don’t know too much about Rodney Hernandez, but I know he’s been in there with a lot of top guys and usually goes rounds,” Anderson said.

“I can’t wait for this one. Top Rank keeps lining these guys up, and I’m knocking them out.”

Anderson started 2020, helping Tyson Fury prepare for his rematch with Deontay Wilder, and earned high praise from both Fury and Top Rank’s Bob Arum, who were both impressed with his in-ring abilities.

The Anderson-Hernandez bout will take place on the undercard of Jamel Herring’s WBO super featherweight world championship defense against Jonathan Oquendo. This will be the second title defense of Herring’s reign after he captured the strap from Japan’s Masayuki Ito in May of 2019.

Next week’s fight card’s co-main event will be a super middleweight clash between the undefeated Steven Nelson and DeAndre Ware. The 32-year-old Nelson is ranked No.8 by the WBO and will be looking to continue building his case for a title shot with a win over Ware.

How far do you think Jared Anderson will go in the heavyweight division?