Top amateur heavyweight Anderson signs promotional pact with Top Rank

Top Rank has signed Jared Anderson, the No. 1 American amateur heavyweight, to a multi-year promotional contract, the company announced Tuesday.

Anderson, 19, of Toledo, Ohio, will make his professional debut in a four-round bout on Oct. 26. The fight will be on the undercard of the Top Rank Boxing on ESPN+ card headlined by the vacant featherweight world title bout between Shakur Stevenson and Joet Gonzalez at the Reno-Sparks Convention Center in Reno, Nevada.

"This means the world to me. I feel like I can start my career and build something so that I can support my family," said Anderson, who passed on an opportunity to join the 2020 U.S Olympic team to turn pro. "I want to represent my city and become a role model for kids who have dreams. My dream is to become the heavyweight champion of the world. I want to become an ambassador for my city and use my platform for good. Toledo means so much to me, and for me to give back would mean everything."

Anderson, a two-time national champion, is trained by Darrie Riley, a Toledo-based trainer who worked with Toledo boxers such as Albert Bell, who is also with Top Rank, DeAndre Ware, Angelo Snow, and Wesley Tucker.

"He is a good kid who has the work ethic needed to become a champion," Riley said of Anderson. "By the time he was 15 years old, I knew he had what it took to become a great fighter. Toledo has a long history of great fighters, and Jared is the next one to represent his city."

Anderson will be co-promoted by Antonio Leonard and managed by James Prince.