Top Rank's prospect pool is teeming with talent. The promotional company has elite young fighters sprinkled throughout its roster. Their undercards on ESPN+ are a must-watch because of the presence of star-level talent such as Abdullah Mason, Emiliano Vargas, Keyshawn Davis, Richard Torrez Jr., Bruce "Shu Shu" Carrington, Rohan Polanco, Troy Isley and others.
But the moment Top Rank founder Bob Arum heard the name Jared Anderson, he began to gush.
"The best prospect we have and the best we have had for a while," Arum said.
That's saying something considering that not long ago, Shakur Stevenson was a prospect. Now, Stevenson is a world champion, on the pound-for-pound list and it may not be long before he's regarded as the best boxer in the world.
The Top Rank brass, though, is almost unanimous in its praise of Anderson, a 6-foot-4, 245-pound heavyweight from Toledo, Ohio, who has drawn comparisons to a young Riddick Bowe. If he winds up remotely close to Bowe, he won a silver medal in the 1988 Olympics, became undisputed heavyweight champion and earned a spot in the International Boxing Hall of Fame, Arum would do backflips even at 92.
Anderson will return to action Saturday in Corpus Christi, Texas, on ESPN when he brings his 16-0 record with 15 knockouts into a bout with veteran Ryad Merhy.
Top Rank vice president Carl Moretti said Anderson will not only be one of the most talented heavyweights at the top level, but he's an exciting fighter, as well.
"Eventually, when he's at that elite level, he'll be a guy who either knocks you out or gets knocked out," Moretti said. "He's not going to be one who stinks out the joint and wins a boring decision. If you go back and think of guys from the past, he could make a fight with Jesse Ferguson exciting. Larry Donald! Oh my God, Larry Donald! Jared if he fought Larry Donald, he could make that fight exciting because he wouldn't let Donald stink the place out. He'd go out there and go after him and make it a fight."
Anderson is not without his flaws, and chief among them is trouble outside the ring. Twice in the last five months, he's had significant brushes with the law. In November, he was arrested for DUI and mishandling a firearm while under the influence. He wound up pleading no contest to mishandling a firearm in a motor vehicle.
In March, he was involved in a police chase that went over 130 mph. He must appear in court on that charge later this month.
Arum said Anderson has all the ingredients to be a popular, elite heavyweight, but conceded he needs to stay out of trouble.
"He's a good kid, to be honest with you, and he has a tremendous personality," Arum said. "As people get to know him, they'll fall in love with him. He's still young (24) but he can really fight. He's young and he has to watch all the time that he doesn't do crazy things that will screw up his career. But I really believe he's now going to be dedicated. We talk to his people every week and everybody is satisfied he's learned his lesson."
Anderson was ornery in an interview earlier in the week and defensive when asked about the only fight he didn't score a knockout in, his 2023 decision win over former IBF champion Charles Martin.
"You people want to keep making an issue," of me not getting a knockout in the Martin fight, Anderson said of the media. However, Anderson responded before a question was fully asked.
But he said he wants to remain active and show he's the best young heavyweight in the world. He'll probably fight at home in August if he wins on Saturday and then once more this year, Moretti said.
Asked if he'd pair Anderson against ex-UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou now, Moretti scoffed.
"Did Ngannou do something to you? Are you trying to get him killed?" he said. "That's not a fight. Richard Torrez would knock him out in three rounds."
It doesn't matter, though, because Arum said he would have to do that fight in Saudi Arabia to make the money work and he's going to have Anderson fight in the States twice more this year.
Still, the Top Rank brass of Arum, Moretti and matchmakers Bruce Trampler and Brad Goodman love what they see of the kid, and when a fighter is as developed as Anderson, they're rarely wrong.
"He has a chance to make an enormous amount of money because of the way he fights and how he punches and that heavyweights who are crowd-pleasers are pretty much the most valuable commodity in boxing," Arum said. "When you start seeing him in with this recognizable heavyweights, you'll see. This kid has a chance to do something very special."