Jared Anderson vs Andriy Rudenko Preview August 26th, 2023
Unbeaten heavyweight hopeful Jared ‘Big Baby’ Anderson returns to the ring this Saturday, August 26th when he takes on veteran Andriy Rudenko of Ukraine. The 10-rounder from Tulsa, Oklahoma can be seen on the ESPN platform in America while fans in the UK can catch it on Sky Sports Arena and those in Canada can see it on TSN 3. Anderson last fought on July 1st when he had his hands full with former world champion Charles Martin but won a 10-round unanimous decision to defend his WBO International and WBC USA Heavyweight Crowns. Anderson won the vacant WBO International Belt in last December by stopping Jerry Forrest in the second round and added the vacant WBC USA Title by halting George Arias in the third round this April. Rudenko was last in the ring in in January when he stopped Bojan Cestic in the second round.
Anderson vs Rudenko Betting Odds
Here are the betting odds from online sportsbook BetOnline.ag (full review here).
- Andriy Rudenko +1200
- Jared Anderson -3300
MY PICK
‘Big Baby’ Anderson is just 23 years old and owns a perfect record of 15-0 with 14 Ko’s. He’s boxed just 41 rounds since making his pro debut in 2019 and that’s obviously because he owns a highly-impressive knockout ratio of 93.3 per cent. He enjoyed a successful amateur career and won the 2017 and 2018 U.S. National Championships. Understandably, he’s being brought along relatively slowly in the pro ranks but 14 of his 15 opponents have entered the ring with a winning record with two of them, George Arias and Vladimir Tereshkin being undefeated at the time and Charles Martin being a former world heavyweight titleholder.
Anderson won the vacant NABF Jr. Heavyweight Title in October, 2021 when he stopped 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 but does have a steady, effective jab to accompany his power and he certainly has the power and determination to make his mark in the division. He took a step up in class against Martin last month and definitely had his chin tested but passed the test. However, the fight showed that he still has some work to do as he works his way up the rankings ladder to taking on some top-ranked heavyweights. Anderson enters the fight ranked fifth by the WBO, seventh by the WBA, seventh by the WBC and 15th by the IBF.
The 39-year-old Rudenko enters the contest with a mark of 35-6 with 21 Ko’s and has boxed 232 rounds since turning pro back in 2006 following his amateur career. He stands just over 6-feet-tall with a 73-inch reach which sees him give up 3.5-inches in height and 5.5-inches in reach to Anderson. Rudenko carries pretty good power in his punches with 60 per cent of his wins coming by stoppage. However he’s stopped just one of his last six opponents and has a record of 3-3 in that stretch.
Rudenko’s losses came at the hands of Lucas Browne by 12-round unanimous decision in 2014 in a shot at the vacant WBA Inter-Continental Heavyweight Title; to Hughie Fury by 10-round unanimous decision in his next fight; to Alexander Povetkin by 12-round unanimous decision in 2017 in a shot at the vacant WBO International Heavyweight Belt; by 12-round unanimous decision to Agit Kabayel in 2019 in an attempt at the European Title; to Zhilei Zhang by 10-round unanimous decision in 2019 in a shot at the WBO Oriental Heavyweight Belt and by sixth-round TKO to Vladyslav Sirenko in 2021 in an attempt at the WBO Asia Pacific and WBC Asian Titles.
There’s no doubt Rudenko has a pretty good chin as he’s faced some heavy hitters over the years and has been stopped just once and started his career by going 24-0 until losing to Browne. Rudenko has won the vacant WBC International Silver Heavyweight Title as a pro by beating Mike Mollo in 2016 and added the Ukranian Belt the same year by stopping Marcelo Nascimento in the third round. However, he’s generally fallen short when stepping up in class.
PREDICTION…
This should be another good test for Anderson as Rudenko is a seasoned pro with a good chin and decent power. However, he’s also 39 years old now and gives up a lot in size. Anderson is 16 years younger and it should show in this fight as I’m expecting him keep his winning streak intact. He may stop Rudenko after a few rounds but will have to work hard to do so.
Anderson’s power, size and age will be the difference here.
Play Anderson -3300 @ BetOnline.ag
Check out my recent boxing betting picks to see my current form.
Andriy Rudenko betting • Jared Anderson betting