The fight card that’s being thrown by Turki Alalshikh, the chairman of Saudi Arabia’s General Entertainment Authority on August 3rd has gotten another boost. Deontay Wilder has agreed to fight Jared Anderson.
Wilder (43-3-1, 42 KOs) is fighting China’s Zhilei Zhang on June 1 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Alalshikh said Wilder will be Anderson’s opponent “if he’s ready by then to fight.” If Wilder doesn’t perform well, Anderson could face a different opponent for the stacked Terence Crawford-Israil Madrimov undercard, Saudi Arabia’s first boxing event outside the Kingdom.
Anderson has had multiple run ins with the law recently. (17-0, 16 KOs) was arrested in February after police said he led them on a 6-plus-mile car chase with speeds exceeding 130 mph. That event let him being charged with a third-degree felony of fleeing a police officer.
Anderson pleaded no contest in December to improperly handling firearms in a motor vehicle while an OVI charge was dropped in connection with a November 2023 arrest in Ohio. He was fined $200 and handed a 180-day suspended sentence contingent on him not committing a similar offense within one year.
Making his return to the ring earlier this month, Anderson won a lopsided majority decision win over Ryad Merhy. This was Anderson’s third straight fight that he headlined on ESPN. Many people consider him as the best American prospect since Wilder. Wilder will undoubtedly will be the best fighter than Anderson has fought up to date by far. But Wilder holds the keys.
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