Boxer who gave Tyson Fury ‘hell’ in sparring handed route to Oleksandr Usyk after Daniel Dubois rejects eliminator

American heavyweight Jared Anderson has been handed a golden opportunity to revive his career.

Once hailed as the ‘future of heavyweight boxing’, Anderson saw his stock tumble in August 2024 when his perfect 17-0 run came to an end at the hands of the rugged Martin Bakole.

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The nature of the defeat, which saw Anderson hit the deck three times before the eventual stoppage in round five, led several members of the boxing fraternity to write him off as just another ‘hype job’.

However, he now has the chance to prove his detractors wrong in the form of an IBF final eliminator bout against Cuban slickster Frank Sanchez.

Whoever emerges victorious will establish themselves as the next mandatory challenger for unified WBA, WBC and IBF world heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk.

Anderson is next up in the major sanctioning body’s rankings at No.6 after Efe Ajagba, Filip Hrgovic, Moses Itauma, Richard Torrez Jr, and, most recently, Daniel Dubois all rejected the call.

Explaining Dubois’ decision to turn down the order, a spokesperson from ‘Triple D’s’ representatives said: “The eliminator holds little value right now for Daniel.

Why did Daniel Dubois reject the IBF final eliminator?

“Derek Chisora was named the IBF mandatory at their last convention, so the fight vs Frank Sanchez is to be installed as next in line after Chisora.

“Add to that the IBF is last in the queue of the unified championships held by Usyk.

“If Daniel accepted the fight, it would also limit his options with the other organisations.

“Daniel was proud to be IBF champion, but the order and fight itself do little for his career and getting him back into a position to fight for a world title.

“Daniel will be back in 2026, and there are some huge fights out there for him.”

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Anderson’s promoter, Top Rank, has informed Sky Sports that they are open to the client taking the bout against Sanchez.

The 33-year-old boasts a 25-1 record, including a notable win over Ajagba, while his sole defeat came against Agit Kabayel in May 2024 inside the distance.

Both Sanchez and Anderson are in desperate need of a win to claw their way back up the heavyweight mountain.

Jared Anderson gave Tyson Fury serious issues in sparring

Among Anderson’s biggest admirers is Fury, who once tipped him to succeed him as the next heavyweight king after a series of nip-and-tuck sparring sessions.

“The young big baby. Now, for me, he’s the most talented heavyweight in the world by far,” Fury said of Anderson.

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Expanding on their sparring sessions, Bob Arum, who promotes both Anderson and Fury, once said: “Talk to Tyson – he gives Tyson hell when they work out. He’s a great sparring partner.

“Tyson said to me after the Wilder fight that he attributes a great deal of his success to sparring with Anderson.”