Toledo, Ohio-born and raised undefeated knockout artist, Jared Anderson makes his homecoming main event debut this Saturday, July 1 at Huntington Center, where he faces former world champion Charles Martin of St. Louis, Missouri. The pair squares off in the scheduled for 10 rounds heavyweight bout live on ESPN+. “The Real Big Baby” kicked off the fight week with a pair of community events.
First, he stopped by Tony Packo’s, a Toledo landmark that has been a staple of the city since 1932. Anderson, in keeping with a Packo’s tradition that includes former U.S. Presidents and stars of stage and screen, signed a hot dog bun that will be encased and displayed at the restaurant.
Later that afternoon, Anderson hosted about 75 local children at The Believe Center, a Toledo-based nonprofit. He signed posters for the children and discussed his journey from Toledo to the top of the heavyweight division.
Charles “Prince” Martin (29-3-1, 26 KOs) accepted the fight on less than two weeks’ notice after Zhan Kossobutskiy was forced to withdraw.
To date, Martin is the most notable opponent of Anderson’s (14-0, 14 KOs) career. He briefly held the IBF heavyweight crown in 2016 and has been a division mainstay ever since.
‘I came home because I wanted to bring a great event to my city’
“I enjoy giving back to my community and talking with the kids. I come from the same place they do, and I want to show them what can be achieved with hard work.”
“I came home because I wanted to bring a great event to my city. I’ve wanted to fight here ever since I turned pro, and the time is now. The atmosphere will be crazy, and I’m going to put on a show.”
“It’s about getting the victory and moving on to the next one.”
In Australia, Jared Anderson vs Charles Martin airs live on Sunday, July 2.
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