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Jared Anderson Headlines Homecoming Battle Against Zhan
Kossobutskiy At Huntington Center On July 1
Early fireworks await this Fourth of July weekend as
Toledo's knockout king heads home to headline an
action-packed heavyweight doubleheader featuring a quartet
of the division’s hardest-hitting punchers.
Jared “The Real Big Baby” Anderson will collide against
Kazakhstan’s Zhan Kossobutskiy in a 10-round main event
Saturday, July 1, at Toledo’s Huntington Center. Anderson
will fight for the first time as a pro in his hometown, just
a few days shy of the 104th anniversary of Jack Dempsey’s
historic win over Jess Willard on July 4, 1919, at Toledo’s
Bay View Park. Dempsey's triumph heralded a new era in his
illustrious career, and Anderson expects to do the same in
his first headlining attraction.
In the 10-round heavyweight co-feature, Montreal-based
wrecking ball Arslanbek Makhmudov takes on Nigeria’s Raphael
Akpejiori. The Makhmudov-Akpejiori showdown rounds out a
doubleheader featuring four undefeated knockout artists with
a combined record of 64 wins and 61 stoppages. Anderson-Kossobutskiy
and Makhmudov-Akpejiori will be broadcast live on ESPN, ESPN
Deportes and ESPN+ at 10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT.
“Jared Anderson is a proud son of Toledo, and we are
thrilled to bring Top Rank and ESPN to the ‘Glass City’,”
said Top Rank chairman Bob Arum. “Ever since Jared turned
pro, we have set our sights on Toledo as a fight
destination. He is now the best young heavyweight in the
world, and the time was right to bring ‘The Real Big Baby’
home. Zhan Kossobutskiy is a ferocious puncher in his own
right, and I expect an action-packed fight in front of a
raucous, sold-out Huntington Center crowd.”
Anderson (14-0, 14 KOs) debuted in the paid ranks in 2019
and has developed into a top contender. He has never gone
beyond the sixth round, as he has stopped five of his
opponents in the first round and another five in the second
round. In 2020, he garnered global attention as Tyson Fury's
primary sparring partner, but he is now carving his own
path. In his last fight, he knocked out then-undefeated
George Arias in the third round, the second unbeaten fighter
to have fallen victim to Anderson’s punching power. Ranked
at No. 7 by the WBO and No. 11 by both the WBC and WBA, the
23-year-old now turns his attention to the division's top
dogs.
Anderson said, “To my family, friends, and fans in Toledo, I
cannot wait to come home. This is a dream come true. Trust
me, I am going to put on a show for you all. The support of
my city has pushed me my entire career, and I know everyone
will be in my corner on July 1.”
Kossobutskiy (19-0, 18 KOs) is a 34-year-old southpaw from
Kostanay, Kazakhstan. He has only gone the distance once in
his career, a 10-round unanimous decision win over Kamil
Sokolowski in August 2020. He has not gone passed the sixth
round since. In 2021, he went 3-0 with three knockouts,
stopping once-beaten Nigerian Onorede Ehwareme, iron-chinned
Philadelphian Joey Dawejko, and then-undefeated Dominican
Alexis Garcia. In 2022, he dispatched former world title
challenger Johann Duhaupas in the fifth round and is coming
off a third-round knockout over previously unbeaten
contender Hussein Muhamed in November.
Kossobutskiy said, “The fact that this fight will take place
in the United States, in my opponent’s hometown, will make
this fight interesting. I like to box strong opponents. Such
fights are needed in the heavyweight division. I haven’t
watched his fights. They say that he is good, but we will
analyze him in the process of my fight preparation.”
Makhmudov (16-0, 15 KOs) made his professional debut in
December 2017 by knocking out Jaime Barajas in the first
round. He secured five additional first-round stoppages in
his first seven fights, and in 2019, he became the first
fighter to knock out tough-as-nails veteran Jonnie Rice.
Later that year, he knocked out former world champion Samuel
Peter in the first round, starting a series of four
consecutive first-round knockouts. In September 2022,
Makhmudov went the distance for the first time against
former world title challenger Carlos Takam. In his most
recent bout, he stopped Michael Wallisch in only one round
in December. The 6'5, 265-pound powerhouse is set to face
the tallest opponent of his career.
Makhmudov said, “Fighting for the first time in the United
States, the Mecca of boxing, represents a major opportunity
for me, not only because it will give me a chance to
showcase my talent on the world stage, but also because it
brings me one step closer to my dream of becoming a world
champion. I've been dedicating my life to boxing, putting
all the hard work and sacrifices for this moment. I'm ready.
I want to fight the best, and I'm ready to give a great show
to the boxing fans all over the world.”
At 6'8' and 260 pounds, Akpejiori (15-0, 14 KOs) casts an
intimidating presence. A former collegiate basketball and
football player for the University of Miami, he is a fistic
natural, having stopped ten of his opponents in the first
round and another four in the second round. In June 2022,
the 32-year-old went the eight-round distance for the first
time in his career against veteran Terrell Jamal Woods. In
his most recent fight, Akpejiori scored a first-round
knockout against Dell Long in January. Akpejiori will have a
nearly three-inch height advantage over his opponent.
Akpejiori said, “I do not expect this to be an easy fight,
but I have prepared for this moment for a long time. I’m
used to the hard work. I’m used to the adversity, the
obstacles, and the pain. This is just another chapter, and I
am more than ready for it. This is an opportunity to
represent the African continent on a global scale, and I do
not intend to disappoint.”
The ESPN+-streamed undercard will feature Toledo-born first
responder DeAndre Ware and a pair of Cleveland’s sterling
undefeated talents: Tiger Johnson and Dante Benjamin Jr.
Ware (15-4-2, 9 KOs) will return in a six-round super
middleweight fight. He is a local firefighter who saved the
life of Top Rank coordinator Pete Susens after performing
CPR before a weigh-in inside the MGM Grand Las Vegas Bubble
in 2020. Nearly three years later, Ware returns on a Top
Rank show seeking to rebound from a defeat to unbeaten
contender Christian Mbilli last September.
Rising U.S. Olympian Johnson (8-0, 5 KOs) will see action in
an eight-round junior welterweight clash. Following a 2022
in which he went 5-0 with three knockouts, Johnson kicked
off 2023 with an eight-round unanimous decision win in April
over Alfonso Olvera
Light heavyweight prospect Benjamin (6-0, 4 KOs) will make
his third appearance of 2023 in a six-round bout. Benjamin
began the year with a first-round knockout over
then-unbeaten prospect Emmanueal Austin in January and is
coming off a second-round destruction of Jasper McCargo in
April.
Husam Al Mashhadi (6-0, 5 KOs), the fighting pride of
Dearborn Heights, Michigan, will participate in a six-round
junior middleweight fight. The explosive southpaw prospect,
who has packed venues in his hometown, is coming off a
six-round decision over Gabriel Smith in March.
Junior middleweight standout Jahi Tucker (10-0, 5 KOs) hopes
to follow-up April’s action-packed decision victory over
Nikoloz Sekhniashvili in an eight-rounder against an
opponent to be named.
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