The contender lauded by promoter Bob Arum as the best young heavyweight and future king is back in action on April 13.
Undefeated phenom Jared Anderson is angling for another big knockout. The fighting pride of Toledo, Ohio, steps up in class to face Belgian contender Ryad Merhy on Saturday, April 13.
The ten-round main event at American Bank Center in Corpus Christi, Texas, will be backed up by other standout fights.
Future heavyweight champion
“Jared Anderson is the most exciting young heavyweight in the world,” said Arum. “He’s stepping up against his most formidable opponent to date.
“Corpus Christi is a great fight town. I can’t wait for the fans there to have a front-row seat for the future heavyweight champion.”
“The Real Big Baby” – 16-0 with 15 big KOs – had a banner 2023 that saw him go 3-0 with a pair of knockouts.
In April, he ended the unbeaten run of George Arias, stopping the Dominican slickster in only three rounds. Less than three months later, Anderson made his triumphant Toledo homecoming and faced former world champion Charles Martin in front of more than 7,000 adoring fans.
Jared Anderson vs. Ryan Merhy
Anderson earned a clear ten-round decision over Martin and carried that momentum to Tulsa, Oklahoma, in August, where he stopped Andriy Rudenko in five rounds.
“This is going to be the start of a big year, and I can’t wait to show out in front of the fans in Corpus Christi and everyone watching on ESPN,” Anderson said. “Merhy is a solid fighter but has never faced a heavyweight like me. He’ll see that in person on April 13.”
Merhy is an Ivory Coast native who was raised in Belgium. That’s where most of his professional fights have taken place. He won a secondary cruiserweight world title in 2021 and then moved up in weight to pursue heavyweight glory.
Merhy saw his seven-bout winning streak end when he dropped a twelve-round decision to Kevin Lerena in Lerena’s home country of South Africa.
Last December, he traveled to Paris for a bout with hometown hero and Olympic gold medalist Tony Yoka. He upset Yoka by a split decision to breathe new life into his heavyweight campaign.
“After ending 2023 with a great performance, I am looking for another great performance, this time on American soil against the ‘future heavyweight hope,'” Merhy said.
“What I like about my current position is that I have nothing to prove. I accepted this fight because I didn’t see Anderson as a significant danger.
“It’s up to him to prove himself against a small heavyweight like me. I feel no pressure. See you on April 13, Jared.”
Anderson vs Merhy undercard
In the ten-round heavyweight co-feature, Nigerian puncher Efe Ajagba and Italian standout Guido “The Gladiator” Vianello will meet in a battle of 2016 Olympians.
The eight-round televised opener features three-time world title challenger Robson Conceicao as he looks to keep his junior lightweight world title hopes alive against the upset-minded Jose Guardado.
In further action, Henry Lebron battles Charly Suarez. John Rincon, Abdullah Mason, and Ruben Villa are all featured.
Anderson-Merhy, Ajagba-Vianello, and Conceição Guardado will be broadcast LIVE on ESPN, ESPN Deportes & ESPN+ at 10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT.
Promoted by Top Rank, tickets go on sale Tuesday, March 5 at 10 a.m. CST via Ticketmaster.com.
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