Top Rank boss Bob Arum has been high on unbeaten heavyweight Jared Anderson for a while, and now the long-time Hall of Fame promoter has a time frame in mind for when Anderson will be let off the leash at world title level. Speaking with Talk Sport, Arum said Anderson has “moved from being a prospect to being a contender,” and that the 23-year-old who is currently perfect at 13-0(13) will be ready to fight Tyson Fury (assuming Fury is still champion at the time) in 2024.
Fury has sparred with Anderson, and the reigning WBC heavyweight champ spoke about how impressed he was with the man from Toledo, Ohio, with Fury himself stating his belief that Anderson will be the guy to take over the division when he has gone. But Arum is looking ahead to a super fight between Fury and Anderson.
“I have my kid, who’s not quite there yet, but by 2024 he’ll be ready [to fight Fury], and that’s Jared Anderson, and that will sell out the big stadium in Las Vegas,” Arum said. “I think Richard Torrez is a great prospect [also], but he’s still a prospect, whereas I think Jared Anderson has moved on from being a prospect to being a contender. I would put him in with anybody because there’s something magic about Anderson. Hopefully, Richard Torrez has the same type of ability and charisma going forward, but he’s a baby, and he started a number of years after Anderson.”
Torrez, an unbeaten southpaw from Tulare, California, is currently just 4-0(4) as a pro, the 2020 Olympic silver medal winner having gone pro in March of this year. Torrez is the same age as Anderson at 23, yet as Arum says, he started later. Torrez is certainly a young heavyweight to keep an eye on.
But Anderson seems to have broken through in terms of being a name fans are familiar with now and as far as being ranked quite highly in the world. There are big things expected of Anderson, a naturally aggressive fighter with a fan-friendly style and approach, and next year should see “Big Baby” get in there with some Top-10 opposition.
Is Arum right? Will Anderson be challenging for world honors in 2024, perhaps against Tyson Fury? Thus far in his pro career, Anderson has done everything right, and he has done it in style. Anderson’s first fight of 2023 is something plenty of us are looking forward to.
