2021 Prospect of Year: Jared Anderson

Plus a look at the rest of the cream of the crop

Jan 24, 2022

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One look at Jared Anderson in the boxing ring and he evokes the image of what many think a heavyweight champion of the world looks like. He’s 6-foot-4, a muscular 240 pounds, light on his feet and punches holes through walls.

Since turning professional in October 2019, the 22-year-old from Toledo, Ohio, has blown away one opponent after another to fashion a perfect 11-0 record, all by knockout, and has been extended only as deep as the sixth round once. But Anderson is not only about landing one big punch for a knockout — which he has done. He also has a solid jab, sound fundamentals and, by all accounts, a superb work ethic.

If there is any young heavyweight with a chance to do something special, Anderson looks like he is that guy and it’s a big reason why he is the 2021 prospect of the year.

Anderson, who has a friendly personality and everything it takes to be fan favorite, has yet to be seriously tested even as his handlers at Top Rank, including all-star matchmakers Brad “Abdul” Goodman and Bruce Trampler, and manager James Prince steadily increased his opposition level during 2021 as he moved from six-rounders into eight-rounders. Ten-round bouts are on tap in 2022 and perhaps a name opponent by the end of the year.

But in 2021, Anderson, who is trained by Darrie Riley, impressed time and again in winning all four of his bouts against opponents with a combined record of 60-4-3, including then-unbeaten Vladimir Tereshkin on the Tyson Fury-Deontay Wilder III undercard in October and Oleksandr Teslenko on the Vasiliy Lomachenko-Richard Commey undercard in December.

As an amateur, Anderson, who goes by the nickname “The Real Big Baby,” was a 2017 and 2018 U.S. national champion and also won a variety of other tournaments to make him the No. 1-ranked amateur heavyweight in the United States. He would have been a favorite to make the 2020 U.S. Olympic team but when the Tokyo Games were delayed until this past summer because of the coronavirus pandemic, Anderson entered the pro ranks.

Besides his 11 pro bouts, Anderson has gained invaluable experience as heavyweight champion Fury’s preferred sparring partner at his Las Vegas training camps for his second and third fights with Wilder. Anderson estimates he has sparred around 100 rounds with Fury.

Without going into details, Anderson told Fight Freaks Unite over the summer, “It’s a huge accomplishment to be considered for the sparring. It’s competitive. Iron sharpens iron. We bring out the better in each other. We make each other work. It’s a good time and we just push each other a lot. That’s kind of what I get out of it. I believe I’ve held my own because he’s called me back.”

If Anderson can take a shot — and that is always the question a heavyweight will eventually have to answer — he has the potential to be one of the faces of boxing for years to come.

The rest of the best

2. Xander Zayas (12-0, 9 KOs), jr. middleweight, 19, Sunrise, Fla.

Zayas, who was born in Puerto Rico, won 11 amateur national titles and was 16 when he became the youngest fighter ever signed by Top Rank in its 50-plus-year history. Managed by Peter Kahn, Zayas had his pro debut at age 17 and has developed very nicely. He has sparred with the likes of Gervonta Davis, Adrien Broner and Robert Easter Jr. He has shown poise and maturity to go with his strong offense and developing defense. His 2021 campaign was outstanding as he went 6-0 (all in scheduled six-rounders) and moved up from welterweight to junior middleweight. He’s being moved slowly but he has the kind skills, personality and charisma that give him the look of a future star.

3. Conor Benn (20-0, 13 KOs), welterweight, 25, England

Benn, the son of British legend and former two-division titleholder Nigel Benn, had a limited amateur career of 22 bouts, all of which took place in Australia. As a pro, he’s the first to admit how shaky he looked early on. But he has taken his career seriously, worked hard and developed into a bona fide prospect that already enjoys immense popularity in the United Kingdom. He has really improved in recent fights, including an impressive 2021 in which he was 3-0 against three recognizable opponents: a first-round destruction of Samuel Vargas, a near-shutout decision of Adrian Granados and a crushing fourth-round knockout of the year candidate against former junior welterweight titlist Chris Algieri.

4. Bakhodir Jalolov (9-0, 9 KOs), heavyweight, 27, Uzbekistan

The Lou DiBella-promoted, Vadim Kornilov-managed Jalolov, a 6-foot-7, 250-pound southpaw with tremendous power, was already 8-0 as a professional when he went to Tokyo for the Olympics and steamrolled his way to the super heavyweight gold medal. If you win the super heavyweight gold medal the expectation is you will eventually be heavyweight champion. He has fought once since winning the gold medal, scoring a first-round knockout in December. Among his many other amateur accolades, he was a 2016 Olympic quarterfinalist, and won gold medals at the 2019 World Amateur Championships and 2017 Asian Championships.

5. Brandun Lee (24-0, 22 KOs), jr. welterweight, 22, La Quinta, Calif.

Lee was a decorated amateur with an approximate record of 196-5, including a gold medal in the 2015 U.S. Junior National Championship. As a pro, he has good size for his division (5-foot-10) and has looked good fight after fight scoring one knockout after another with great exposure on Showtime. He finally began to step up his opposition in his last fight, a seventh-round knockout of Juan Heraldez in December that made Lee 3-0 in 2021 with all three wins by KO. Lee has also gained tremendous experience sparring with Mikey Garcia, Devin Haney, Mauricio Herrera, Timothy Bradley Jr. and Thomas Dulorme.

6. Janibek Alimkhanuly (11-0, 7 KOs), middleweight, 28, Kazakhstan

Promoted by Top Rank and managed by Egis Klimas, the southpaw Alimkhanuly is very advanced and some would consider him already a legitimate contender. He was a 2016 Olympian for Kazakhstan to punctuate a stellar amateur career that included gold medals at the 2013 World Amateur Championships, the 2013 and 2014 Asian Championships. He has moved quickly as a pro, having knocked out two former middleweight titleholders in Rob Brant and Hassan N’Dam in his last two fights to put him in the mandatory position to challenge WBO titlist Demetrius Andrade.

7. Keyshawn Davis (4-0, 3 KOs), lightweight, 22, Norfolk, Va.

Davis, who is mature beyond his years, is a multi-dimensional talent with superb offensive and defensive skills not to mention speed, a fan-friendly style and an outgoing personality. He was a standout amateur, claiming silver medals at the 2019 World Champions and Pan American Games before going pro. He was already 3-0 when he got an invitation to the U.S. Olympic team in Tokyo this past summer — he had already earned the requisite points — and wound up claiming a silver medal. After the Games, Davis signed with Top Rank, which has big plans for him.

8. Edgar Berlanga (18-0, 16 KOs), super middleweight, 24, Brooklyn, N.Y.

The Top Rank-promoted, Keith Connolly-managed Berlanga has gotten huge hype because of his regular ESPN appearances and because he knocked out his first 16 opponents in the first round. Although he has gone the distance in his last two fights, including 10 rounds in his last bout in October on the Tyson Fury-Deontay Wilder III card, he showed the toughness a fighter needs when he overcame a torn biceps early in the fight and a ninth-round knockdown to outpoint former world title challenger Marcelo Esteban Coceres. Yes, there are questions about Berlanga after the last two fights, but he has a chance to be a star because of his power, charisma and New York’s Puerto Rican fan base.

9. Frank Martin (15-0, 11 KOs), lightweight, 27, Indianapolis

Martin, a southpaw, who is with Premier Boxing Champions and in the Errol Spence Jr. camp, doesn’t get much hype but he deserves it. He was a 2016 National Golden Gloves champion during a standout amateur career in which he won seven national titles. As a pro he has looked very good, showing off mature offensive and defensive skills. He was 2-0 in 2021, including impressive performances against then-unbeaten Jerry Perez and the experienced Ryan Kielczweski. He got his 2022 campaign off to a great start with a fourth-round knockout of Romero Duno on Jan. 1. Martin could move quickly.

10. Charles Conwell (16-0, 12 KOs), jr. middleweight, 24, Cleveland

Conwell was a 2016 U.S. Olympian to cap a tremendous amateur career that also included gold medals at the 2015 National Golden Gloves and Olympic trials. He’s aggressive with good power, and promoter Lou DiBella and manager David McWater have not been shy stepping him up in competition. He was 2-0 in 2021, including an impressive third-round knockout of then-unbeaten Juan Carlos Rubio on the Jake Paul-Tyron Woodley I undercard.

11. Gary Antuanne Russell (14-0, 14 KOs), jr. welterweight, 25, Capitol Heights, Md.

Russell, a 2016 U.S. Olympian, who is aligned with Premier Boxing Champions, is one of the fighting Russell brothers that includes older brother and former featherweight world titlist (and former prospect of the year) Gary Russell Jr. Gary Antuanne, a southpaw, has similar talent but is more offensive-minded. But he also has been inactive, fighting just once in 2020 and once in 2021, when he notched his best win by sixth-round knockout of Jovanie Santiago. He’s a tremendous finisher.

12. Marc Castro (5-0, 5 KOs), lightweight, 22, Fresno, Calif.

Castro was a standout amateur, going 177-7 and winning gold medals at the 2016 Youth World Championships and 2015 Junior World Championships. It’s not a stretch to say he is the best prospect in the stable of Matchroom Boxing promoter Eddie Hearn and manager Keith Connolly. He is so highly thought of that his first three pro fights were in coveted slots on Canelo Alvarez undercards. He has a bit of an awkward yet fan friendly style and is a volume puncher with power who wears down opponents with his relentlessness.

13. Jesse “Bam” Rodriguez (14-0, 10 KOs), flyweight, 22, San Antonio

Rodriguez, a southpaw with power, was a top amateur, winning gold medals at the 2015 and 2016 National Junior Championships (for boxers under 17) and silver at the 2015 World Juniors. The younger brother of secondary junior bantamweight titlist Joshua Franco, Rodriguez is trained by Robert Garcia, who has said he’s one of the best young fighters he has worked with. Rodriguez was limited to one fight in 2021, his first scheduled 10-rounder, which resulted in a fourth-round KO of Jose Burgos.

14. William Zepeda (24-0, 22 KOs), lightweight, 24, Mexico

The Golden Boy-promoted Zepeda has not gotten a lot of hype but he is one of those guys nobody is looking to fight. He has tremendous power, throws punches in bunches and has a relentless, fan-friendly style. He was 2-0 in 2021, winning both by knockout, including taking out highly touted Hector Tanajara when Tanajara’s corner stopped it after the sixth round of a one-sided thrashing. Golden Boy believes he will be ready to compete with any of the fighters in the division this year.

15. Lee McGregor (11-0, 9 KOs), bantamweight, 25, Scotland

McGregor, who loves to throw the left hook to the body, was a standout amateur whose accomplishments included a gold medal at the 2017 Scottish National Championships and Great Britain Three Nations Championships. Represented by MTK Global, McGregor had an excellent 2021, going 2-0 and winning the European title by first-round knockout of Karim Guerfi. He defended it by fourth-round KO of Vincent Legrand. A world title shot in 2022 would not be a surprise.

16. Sebastian Fundora (18-0-1, 12 KOs), junior middleweight, 24, Coachella, Calif.

At 6-foot-6, “The Towering Inferno” is freakishly tall for a 154-pounder and needs to learn to use his size and 80-inch reach to his advantage better but he has shown vast improvement in recent fights and is going to be a problem for a lot of opponents. Promoted by Sampson Lewkowicz and aligned with Premier Boxing Champions, Fundora, who has a reputation as a very hard worker, was 2-0 in 2021 against fringe contenders Sergio Garcia (33-0 at the time) and Jorge Cota.

17. Michel Rivera (22-0, 14 KOs), lightweight, 23, Dominican Republic

Promoted by Sampson Lewkowicz and fighting on Premier Boxing Champions events, the Miami-based Rivera, who has a fan-friendly style and outgoing personality, did not come into the pros with a big reputation but has forced his way into the picture by beating improving opposition and doing so impressively with a variety of skills. In 2021, Rivera was 3-0, including a highlight-reel eighth-round knockout of fringe contender Jon Fernandez and shutout decision of Jose Matias Romero.

18. Jesus Ramos (17-0, 14 KOs), welterweight, 20, Casa Grande, Ariz.

Ramos, a southpaw, is the nephew of fringe welterweight contender and former title challenger Abel Ramos. Jesus has not gotten a lot of hype but he has looked good and shown excellent offensive skills. Ramos, who fights under the Premier Boxing Champions banner, won all three of his fights (two by KO) in 2021 against decent opposition, including a 10-round decision over 2008 U.S. Olympian Javier Molina.

19. Jose Valenzuela (11-0, 7 KOs), lightweight, 22, Mexico

Valenzuela, who is based in Seattle, is trained by Jose Benavidez Sr. and trains with his sons, two-time super middleweight titlist David and junior middleweight Jose Jr. Valenzuela has an aggressive style and was busy in 2021, going 5-0 (four by KO) to put himself on the map. He was impressive in his last two fights, a near-shutout of Deiner Berrio in September and a fourth-round KO of Austin Dulay in December, both on Premier Boxing Champions cards. He also scored a knockout of Donte Strayhorn in a coveted slot on the Manny Pacquiao-Yordenis Ugas undercard in August.

Rafael's Prospects of the Year

2021-Jared Anderson

2020-Jaron Ennis

2019-Vergil Ortiz Jr.

2018-Teofimo Lopez Jr.

2017-Ryan Garcia

2016-Erickson Lubin

2015-Errol Spence Jr.

2014-Felix Verdejo

2013-Vasiliy Lomachenko

2012-David Price

2011-Gary Russell Jr.

2010-Canelo Alvarez

2009-Daniel Jacobs

2008-Victor Ortiz

2007-Amir Khan

2006-Andre Berto

2005-Joel Julio

2004-Samuel Peter

2003-Jermain Taylor

2002-Miguel Cotto

2001-Francisco Bojado

2000-Julio Diaz

Photos: Anderson, Zayas, Alimkhanuly, Davis, Berlanga/Mikey Williams Top Rank; Benn: Mark Robinson/Matchroom Boxing; Jalolov, Conwell: DiBella Entertainment; Lee, Russell, Ramos, Valenzuela: Sean Michael Ham/PBC; Martin: Ryan Hafey/PBC; Castro: Melina Pizano/Matchroom Boxing; Rodriguez: Ed Mulholland/Matchroom Boxing; Zepeda photo: Golden Boy Promotions; Fundora: Amanda Westcott/Showtime; McGregor: MTK Global; Rivera: Esther Lin/Showtime

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