Jared Anderson has all the tools to become a boxing superstar.
"The Real Big Baby" once again demonstrated just that, simply overwhelming a veteran Andriy Rudenko toward an eye-opening fifth-round TKO at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Tulsa in Catoosa, Oklahoma on Saturday night. The 23-year-old Anderson did it on a 56-day turnaround as he just defeated Charles Martin via unanimous decision on July 1.
"I was sending a statement to myself," Anderson told ESPN after his victory, as he improved to 16-0 with 15 knockouts, becoming a bigger threat at heavyweight.
"I'm fighting for myself and I'm fighting for my family."
Saturday night had Anderson landing a career-high 72 body shots as he used the debilitating blows to open a fast lane upstairs.
Anderson simply got stronger with each round courtesy of his commitment to depositing shots to the body. During the fifth round, a rugged Rudenko lowered his arms against the ropes to protect his ribs from Anderson's incessant body attack and "The Real Big Baby" started unleashing heavy-handed, damaging shots upstairs. The barrage of unanswered punches forced the referee to step in and stop the bout at 1:40 into the round.
"Start with the body and the head will fall," Anderson said, proving the boxing adage right.
"This year isn't over," said Top Rank promoter Bob Arum, hinting that Anderson could see some more in-ring action in 2023.
"Thank you, hello , this year ain't over," Anderson tacked on, "we may have some time to get some more [fights] in."
Here's how the entire Anderson vs. Rudenko main card went.