I was pleasantly surprised when it was announced that
undefeated American heavyweight prospect Jared Anderson agreed to fight Martin
Bakole on August 3rd. To my eyes, Bakole represented a significant step up in
class, with solid victories over Sergey Kuzmin, Tony Yoka and Carlos Takam.
He also was a real puncher (15 KOs in 21 fights).
Anderson himself possessed heavy hands, with 15 stoppages in
17 fights. And he displayed several dimensions not often found with young
heavyweights. He could punch from both stances and his commitment to the body
was praiseworthy.
But there were some red flags with Anderson along the way. He had already shown to be susceptible to getting hit with big shots, specifically from Jerry Forrest and Charles Martin. Perhaps more worrisome was that Anderson didn't respond particularly well after getting tagged. Against Forrest, Anderson got hit right after the opening bell by a big left hand. He then went on tilt, throwing well over 100 punches in the round, often leaving himself vulnerable for additional big shots. Against Martin, Anderson had a round late in the fight where he looked like a deer in the headlights after absorbing Martin's lead lefts. He didn't really know what to do.
I viewed the Anderson-Bakole matchup as a true 50/50 battle, with Anderson having significant athleticism advantages but Bakole having a clearer ring identify and far more valuable experience. However, as we were reminded during the fight, bouts that look even on paper often don't play out that way in the ring. By the end of the first round, Bakole had floored Anderson with a pulverizing uppercut. In the fifth, Bakole dropped Anderson two more times, with a one-two combination, and then with another uppercut. The fight didn't make it to the sixth.
Anderson did have some decent moments in the fight,
especially through the early portions of the first round and in the third.
However, there can be no doubt that he got sucked into Bakole's fight. For all
of Anderson's athletic gifts, he rarely used them in the bout. Despite showing considerable
boxing skills during his developmental fights, Anderson tried to beat Bakole in
a battle of machismo. It's also clear that he didn't respect Bakole enough. He
had the legs to make the bout far more tactical, but he wasn't interested in
making that statement; instead, he made another.
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| Photo courtesy of Mikey Williams/Top Rank |
Although only 24, Anderson has had considerable hype throughout his professional career. Hard-punching, athletic American heavyweights no longer just grow on trees. His collection of skills deserved special attention. In addition, as one of Tyson Fury's chief sparring partners, Anderson had given Fury great work over the years with Fury often praising the young upstart, believing that he was destined for greatness.
But Anderson also exhibited concerning behavior out of the ring. He once admitted that he was looking forward to leaving the sport, an odd thing to say
for a fighter far away from the top of the division. He had a recent arrest for
leading police in a high-speed chase. He also had already played the
coaching carousel a number of times, cycling through a handful of trainers and
constantly making additions and deletions to his team. None of this is the type
of fighter you want to necessarily bet the house on.
Now it's time for Andreson to pick up the pieces of his career. If he rededicates himself to the sport there remains a clear pathway to reaching greatness in boxing. I did some digging, and there is precedent in overcoming this type of defeat in the heavyweight division.
Believe it or not, in the last 50 years there have been at least 13 fighters who have gotten knocked out in the fifth round or earlier of a non-title bout who would later become a heavyweight champion. That number surprised me. So, here's the list, and I won't pretend it is fully complete. It also calls into consideration the WBO and when it should be regarded as a major belt. Nevertheless, the names are:
Buster Douglas, Chris Byrd, Shannon Briggs, Bermane
Stiverne, Mike Weaver, Bonecrusher Smith, Trevor Berbick, John Ruiz, Michael
Bentt, Bruce Seldon, Corrie Sanders, Oleg Maskaev and David Haye.
Well, that's a motley collection of fighters. Among them are
those who had memorable runs in the sport (Haye and Byrd) and others who are
little more than trivia (Seldon, Maskaev). But here is what I found most
interesting about the list:
Only one from the list became lineal heavyweight champion
(Buster Douglas). What that means is that with a lone exception, if a
heavyweight gets knocked out that early in a non-title fight, he's not going to
become the best in the division. The fighters on this list were good enough to
win titles but, excepting Douglas, they lacked a certain something to become
the best.
The early-round, early-fight knockout loss and the inability to become the best in the division is not coincidental. I think it's telling. Think about why a guy might get knocked out early in a fight: his defense isn't good enough, he doesn't have a good beard, he wasn't taking training seriously, he doesn't have poise in the ring after getting hit with a good shot.
These early-round knockouts aren't necessarily the same as
the ones that occur at the end of fights. These fights weren't wars of attrition
or examples of fighters who didn't have the experience in ten- or twelve-round
battles. The fighters that get lit-up early are walking red flags for the rest of their career. This doesn't
mean a fighter can't become successful, not
by any means, but history has shown that after this kind of loss, the ceiling
for the future does drop. The expectations won't or shouldn't be quite the
same.
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| Photo courtesy of Top Rank |
But these fighters regrouped, persevered and improved in the ring. They have shown that it can be done. However, now think about the thousands of heavyweights who have been knocked out in the fifth round or earlier in their development fights. Most we have never heard of. Most never made it anywhere near the top. These 13 are exceptions. This cohort does exist, but it represents an unlikely success story.
So, might Jared Anderson become the 14th member of this club? It's still possible. At 24, Anderson has youth on his side. And in particular, this current crop of top heavyweights does skew older. It's tough to imagine how many more big years that Usyk, Fury and Joshua have in the sport. And so many others within the top 15 of the division are on the other side of 30. Furthermore, there doesn't appear to be an incredible group of heavyweights on their way up, just a few interesting ones here and there. Anderson will certainly get opportunities for big fights even if he just bides his time and stays busy in the ring for the next few years.
But the ultimate question is what does Anderson what? Is he truly committed to the sport? Does he realize that a higher level of focus is needed to reach the top of the division, both in and out of the ring? He still has the Top Rank contract. He will certainly get chances. But will he make the most of them?
To become #14 Anderson is going to have to face up to some
real truths. His chin isn't necessarily an asset. He needs to respect his
opponents more. The win is far more important than getting style points. He
also needs to find a voice in his corner that he listens to and respects. In addition, he has to settle on a more coherent approach to winning. Yes, he can do lots of
things in the ring, but what should he be doing against a given opponent?
What's the smartest approach to take? How can he maximize his chance of winning?
The way back won't be easy for Anderson. He fights in a contemporary boxing environment that can be unforgiving for losses. But look at Joshua, look at Dubois. Their stories aren't exactly like Anderson's, but both rebounded from knockout losses to get world titles (Dubois was recently elevated). It can be done. But does Anderson really want to do it? Is boxing in his blood or a means to an end? Now we get to find out what Anderson is really made of, both in and out of the ring.
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