Unbeaten heavyweight Jared “The Real Big Baby” Anderson may have to tweak his nickname to something slightly more representative of his current mindset.
Anderson is set to take on Ryad Merhy on April 13 at American Bank Center in Corpus Christi. Texas. Accustomed to overpowering opponents, Anderson says he is ready to outthink this one.
Is it time to say hello to “The Real Big Brain”?
“I have a better IQ than Merhy,” Anderson said. “You have to have a high IQ to do this. I have one of the best IQs in the heavyweight division. So make sure you watch the little things. Make sure you watch for the details.”
The 24-year-old Anderson (16-0, 15 KOs), of Toledo, Ohio, stayed busy last year, notching two knockouts in a total of three wins. After banging out then-undefeated George Arias in three rounds last April, Anderson outpointed former world titleholder Charles Martin in July, followed by a fifth-round knockout of Andriy Rudenko in August.
“I feel like my career is going in the right direction,” Anderson said after a recent training session in Houston. “The only way is up. But I’m still working like it’s my first day.”
Belgium’s Merhy (32-2, 26 KOs) will be making his U.S. debut against Anderson. Most recently, Merhy notched a split-decision win over Tony Yoka in December.
“He’s got a beating coming,” Anderson said. “I always come to entertain.”
In the co-feature, Nigeria’s Efe Ajagba (19-1, 14 KOs) and Italy’s Guido Vianello (12-1-1, 10 KOs) meet in a 10-round heavyweight bout featuring 2016 Olympians. In the televised opener, Robson Conceição (17-2-1, 8 KOs) will face Jose Guardado (15-1-1, 5 KOs) in an eight-rounder.
The Top Rank card will be broadcast live on ESPN, ESPN Deportes and ESPN+ (10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT).