Following an eight-month layoff, American heavyweight star Jared “Big Baby” Anderson entered the ring in Corpus Christi, Texas, on Saturday looking for some action. Well, he’s still looking.
The 24-year-old boxer-puncher from Toledo won easily enough, posting a near-shutout 10-round decision over Belgium’s Ryad Merhy, but the fight was a cure for insomnia. The fans were booing incessantly by round two and they didn’t stop until their ordeal was over.
MORE: ‘Big Baby’ Anderson dominates in decision win, calls out all heavyweights
Merhy, who was coming off an impressive upset victory over former Olympic champ Tony Yoka, refused to engage and his success rate was woeful (just 34 of 144 shots landed). With his opponent fighting to survive, Anderson struggled to open up and simply had to settle for a drab points win.
He maintains his position at No. 12 in the rankings.
Heavyweight rankings: The Sporting News’ top 12Â
The best in the world at heavyweight: Oleksandr Usyk
As Ukrainian wizard Oleksandr Usyk was cutting a swathe through the cruiserweight division, the undisputed champ was tipped to achieve big things at heavyweight. He didn’t disappoint, scoring two memorable points triumphs over Anthony Joshua.
Due in part to the Russia-Ukraine conflict, Usyk has suffered periods of inactivity. However, the 36-year-old technician returned to action in August and battered Britain’s Daniel Dubois to a ninth-round stoppage defeat.
A mainstay on any pound-for-pound list worth reading, Usyk will finally square off against WBC counterpart Tyson Fury in Riyadh on May 18, a fight put back from last December and then February this year. Should Usyk prevail, he will make history for his country and rubberstamp his status as an all-time great.Â
The ring genius moved to No.1 in our heavyweight rankings in October 2023, following Fury’s poor showing against novice Francis Ngannou, which saw the Brit fall one spot.Â
The Sporting News’ Boxing Ratings
Rules | Men’s P4P | Women’s P4P
Heavyweight |Â Cruiserweight | Super Middleweight | Super Lightweight | Lightweight | Super Featherweight | Featherweight | Light Flyweight | Minimumweight
Read the full article here
