


TOLEDO, OHIO - JULY 01: Jared Anderson (L) and Charles Martin (R) exchange punches during their ... [+]
Jared Anderson is one of the top heavyweight prospects in boxing, but after his last performance against a well-worn former titlist, some observers are questioning if Anderson is really ready to move into the elite part of the division. His opponent Saturday, Andriy Rudenko, probably won’t ask the same kinds of questions of Anderson that Charles Martin did, but that also gives Anderson a chance to get back some momentum. Here’s everything you need to know about Jared Anderson vs. Andriy Rudenko, including the odds, their records and a prediction on who will win.
Look, Anderson performed fine against Martin. He won a wide unanimous decision, and he, for the most part, stood up to Martin’s power. But it also wasn’t the blowout of a former titlist that some might have expected, especially since Anderson had never not knocked out one of his opponents.
Anderson was solid against Martin in July though he took some hard shots from Martin midway through the fight and appeared to be temporarily stunned. Anderson certainly wasn’t spectacular.
“I wanted to go the distance,” Anderson said after the bout. “It was my first time. I just wanted to make sure that I could go the distance and especially be able to withstand power the whole 10 rounds. He had power until the last round, and I was happy to get the rounds in.
“I think I took his best shots very well. I don’t think there was a time in the fight where I looked unsteady or where I couldn’t hold my own. Did I feel like he got me with a good shot and stunned me? No. But do I feel like he got me with a good shot and made me aware? Yes, so I had to readjust and get back to the game plan.”
Against Rudenko, Anderson is looking to stay active and to keep making money. He claims that he’s broke and that he has a large family to feed. Perhaps that’s one reason why Anderson is fighting less than two months after his last appearance.
“I’m not in this for the legacy,” Anderson told Boxing Scene. “I’m in this for the business . . . I’m in it for the business side, keeping my family safe and healthy, and making sure all my family can get fat (financially) if they want to. That’s really what it is for me. I’m just trying to stay as active as I can to build my generational wealth and get to that next level. That legacy stuff doesn’t really fit me right now.”
But there’s another reason he’s keeping himself busy. He needs to keep building his resume.
“I want to stay active and make my case that I am the present and future of the heavyweight division,” he said.
Here’s more info on the Jared Anderson vs. Andriy Rudenko showdown that U.S. viewers can watch on ESPN or ESPN+ beginning at 10:30 p.m. ET on Saturday.
TULSA, OKLAHOMA - AUGUST 25: Jared Anderson (L) and Andriy Rudenko (R) of Ukraine face-off during ... [+]
At -4000 (bet $4,000 to win $100), Anderson is a massive betting favorite to beat Rudenko, who is a +1400 underdog (win $1,400 on a $100 wager). Anderson is -700 to win by stoppage, but I don’t see much value there. Instead, I’d go with Anderson to win by KO/TKO in rounds 1-2 at +350 and/or Anderson to win by KO/TKO in rounds 3-4 at +275.
If you were looking for a fun parlay for this weekend’s action of boxing (and this is only for entertainment purposes), I might take Anderson to stop Rudenko at -700, Oleksandr Usyk to beat Daniel Dubois by decision at +240 and Efe Ajagba to beat Zhan Kossobutskiy at +160. If all those hit, you’d win $910 on a $100 wager.
Despite his relatively shaky last appearance, Anderson has been a monster against C-level opposition during his career, building a 15-0 (14 KOs) record. Martin was clearly his best opponent, and he was the first man to take Anderson past six rounds. Otherwise, even when Martin has fought solid competition (like Jerry Forrest or George Arias), he’s ended the night early with his power.
In three of his last six fights, Rudenko (35-6, 21 KOs) has faced an undefeated opponent. He lost each time. In all, Rudenko has fought a nice slate of opponents, including Zhilei Zhang, Alexander Povetkin, Hughie Fury and Lucas Browne. Rudenko beat exactly zero of them. Therefore, there can’t be much confidence in predicting the upset vs. Anderson. Also keep in mind: Rudenko’s last three victories have come against opponents with a combined record of 16-29-4.
This will be a nice get-well fight for Anderson. After a tough battle vs. Martin, Anderson should have the easiest time he’s had in the ring in a while. Rudenko managed to go the distance vs. Zhang, but that’s been his biggest accomplishment lately. That won’t be repeated on Saturday. Say, Anderson by third-round stoppage.