TOLEDO, Ohio — Heavyweight boxer and Toledo native Jared "The Real Big Baby" Anderson's is in Texas for his next fight, two months after being arrested for fleeing from police in Michigan.
Anderson, a 24-year-old Toledo native with a 16-0 record and 15 knockouts, will face Ryad Merhy on Saturday at the top of a card to be televised on ESPN.
Merhy, 31, is an Ivorian-born Belgian and has a record of 32-2 with 26 knockouts. Merhy's last fight ended in a split-decision win over Olympic gold medalist Tony Yoka in December.
At Friday's weigh in, Anderson came in at 250.9 lbs. while Merhy came in at 235.6 lbs.
Anderson, ESPN's No. 8 heavyweight, last fought in August in Tulsa. Anderson's win over former heavyweight champion Andriy Rudenko was the first time in his career that he did not claim victory by way of knockout, ultimately ending in his favor with a unanimous decision after 10 rounds.
“This is going to be the start of a big year, and I can’t wait to show out in front of the fans in Corpus Christi and everyone watching on ESPN,” Anderson said. “Merhy is a solid fighter, but he has never faced a heavyweight like me. He’ll see that in person on April 13.”
“After ending 2023 with a great performance, I am looking for another great performance, this time on American soil against the ‘future heavyweight hope,’” Merhy said. “What I like about my current position is that I have nothing to prove. I accepted this fight because I don't see Anderson as a big danger. It's up to him to prove himself against a small heavyweight like me. I feel no pressure. See you on April 13, Jared.”
The Anderson-Merhy fight is scheduled to take place in Corpus Christi, Texas, and will headline Top Rank Boxing on ESPN.
Here are the undercard fights scheduled to take place:
- Henry Lebron (19-0, 10 KOs) vs. Charly Suarez (16-0, 9 KOs)
- John Rincon (8-0, 2 KOs) vs. TBD
- Abdullah Mason (12-0, 10 KOs) vs. Ronal Ron (14-5, 11 KOs)
- Ruben Villa (21-1, 7 KOs) vs. Cristian Cruz Chacon (22-6-1, 11 KOs)
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