Top Rank has signed Jared Anderson, the No. 1 amateur heavyweight in the United States, to a multi-year promotional contract, the company announced on Tuesday.
Anderson, 19, of Toledo, Ohio, who will be co-promoted by Antonio Leonard and managed by James Prince, will make his professional debut against an opponent to be determined in a four-round bout on Oct. 26.
The fight will be on the undercard of the Top Rank Boxing on ESPN+ card headlined by the vacant featherweight world title bout between Shakur Stevenson and Joet Gonzalez at the Reno-Sparks Convention Center in Reno, Nevada.
“This means the world to me. I feel like I can start my career and build something so that I can support my family,” said Anderson, who decided to turn pro rather than pursue a berth on the 2020 U.S. Olympic team. “I want to represent my city and become a role model for kids who have dreams. My dream is to become the heavyweight champion of the world. I want to become an ambassador for my city and use my platform for good. Toledo means so much to me, and for me to give back would mean everything.”
Anderson is trained by Darrie Riley, a Toledo-based trainer who worked with Toledo boxers such as the Albert Bell, who is also with Top Rank, DeAndre Ware, Angelo Snow and Wesley Tucker.
“He is a good kid who has the work ethic needed to become a champion,” Riley said of Anderson. “By the time he was 15 years old, I knew he had what it took to become a great fighter. Toledo has a long history of great fighters, and Jared is the next one to represent his city.”
Among his amateur accolades, Anderson won the U.S. National Championships in 2017 and 2018, the National Golden Gloves in 2017, the Youth National Championships in 2016 and the Junior National Championships in 2015, according to USA Boxing. He has sparring experience with former heavyweight world titleholder Joseph Parker and 2016 Olympic gold medalist Tony Yoka, who is now a top professional prospect.
“Jared Anderson is a big, strong kid who proved himself to be a heavyweight destroyer while competing for Team USA,” Top Rank chairman Bob Arum said. “He can fight, he is a charismatic young man and he has the desire to be one of the greats.”