Top Rank’s Dec. 10 Teofimo Lopez vs Jose Pedraza show has its co-feature, as Keith Idec reports and Mike Coppinger confirms that top heavyweight prospect Jared Anderson has “struck a deal” to meet veteran Jerry Forrest.
No other bouts have yet been announced for the card, which takes place at Madison Square Garden’s Hulu Theater.
As I’ve said elsewhere, Forrest’s (26-5-2, 20 KO) recent 1-3-2 record is deceiving. He could have easily walked away with wins over Jermaine Franklin, Zhang Zhilei, and Michael Hunter, and he’s unquestionably the best opponent of Anderson’s (12-0, 12 KO) professional career.
Even if Anderson once again shows that he’s the goods, Forrest is extremely difficult to put away, so he should at the very least give “Big Baby” some solid rounds.
After a 2022 that saw the prospect more inactive than he’d have liked due to some injury issues, a solid win over Forrest would be an excellent springboard into the next level for Anderson.