By Ian S Palmer
Unbeaten heavyweight hopeful Jared ‘Big Baby’ Anderson of Toledo, Ohio returns to the ring this Saturday, December 10th when he takes on Jerry Forrest of Lafayette, Louisiana in a 10-round tilt. The fight from Madison Square Garden in New York City can be seen live on ESPN+ in America while those in the UK can see it on Sky Sports Arena and Canadian fans can view it on TSN 2. Anderson last fought in August when he stopped Miljan Rovcanin in the second round while Forrest dropped a 10-round unanimous decision to Kubrat Pulev in May.
‘Big Baby’ Anderson is just 23 years old and owns a perfect record of 12-0 with 12 Ko’s. He’s boxed just 26 rounds since making his pro debut in 2019 and that’s obviously because he owns a 100 per cent knockout ratio. He enjoyed a successful amateur career and won the 2017 and 2018 U.S. National Championships. Understandably, he’s being brought along slowly in the pro ranks but 11 of his 12 opponents have entered the ring with a winning record.
Anderson won the vacant NABF Jr. Heavyweight Title in October, 2021 when he stopped Vladimir Tereshkin in the second round. He stands 6-feet-4-inches tall with a 78.5-inch reach but isn’t the quickest or most fluid heavyweight out there. However, he certainly has the power and determination to make his mark in the division. He’s taking a slight step up in class this weekend as he works his way up the ladder to taking on some higher-ranked heavyweights.
Forrest is a 34-year-old southpaw who enters the fight with a record of 26-5-2 with 20 Ko’s. He made his pro debut back in 2012 and has just 123 rounds of experience under his belt. The main reasons for his low round total are because he’s been 10 rounds just three times and plenty of his knockouts have been early in fights. And speaking of stoppages, he also has good power, especially in his left hand, with a current knockout ratio of 61 per cent.
Forrest is winless in his last four outings and has just one victory in his past six with two of his last three fights ending in 10-round draws. He was dropped in the first, second and third rounds by Zhilei Zhang in February, 2021 but battled back valiantly and caught a break when the exhausted Zhang was deducted a point in the ninth round for holding and then drew with Michael Hunter in his next contest.
The other four losses on his pro record have been at the hands of Gerald Washington by second-round KO in 2013 and then an eight-round unanimous decision defeat to Michael Hunter 10 months later in his next outing. He was also beaten via a 10-round split decision by Jermaine Franklin in July, 2019 and by 10-round decision to Carlos Takam in 2020.
As you can see, when stepping up in class, Forrest hasn’t fared too well as of yet. His best wins have been over the likes of Riley Brooks, Marlon Hayes, Willis Lockett (twice), Grover Young (three times), Miree Coleman (twice), Edgar Perez and Lamont Capers. Just 15 of his 33 foes have entered the ring with winning records though. Forrest stands 6-feet-1-inch tall with a 78-inch reach so gives up three inches in height to Anderson.
Prediction…
This may be Anderson’s toughest pro test so far since Forrest is a durable pro with enough power to earn respect. However, since he’s 11 years younger and owns a 100 per cent knockout ratio, I’m expecting Anderson to win his 13th straight this weekend.
