LAS VEGAS (August 27, 2020) —Jared “The Real Big Baby” Anderson, the 6-foot-4, 240-pound heavyweight destroyer from Toledo, Ohio, returns for his third “Bubble” appearance Saturday, Sept. 5 at the MGM Grand Conference Center.
Anderson will take on nine-year pro and noted spoiler Rodney Hernandez in a bout scheduled for eight or six rounds on the undercard of an action-packed doubleheader featuring Jamel Herring’s WBO junior lightweight world title defense against Jonathan Oquendo and unbeaten super middleweight Steven Nelson against DeAndre Ware in a 10-rounder.
Anderson-Hernandez and additional undercard bouts will stream live and exclusively on ESPN+ starting at 7:30 p.m. ET/4:30 PT.
Anderson said, “I’ve made my home in the ‘Bubble’ this summer, and I’ve enjoyed coming to Las Vegas and putting on a heavyweight show for the fans. I don’t know too much about Rodney Hernandez, but I know he’s been in there with a lot of top guys and usually goes rounds.
“I can’t wait for this one. Top Rank keeps lining these guys up, and I’m knocking them out.”
The 20-year-old Anderson (5-0, 5 KOs) has opened eyes with four first-round knockouts in five outings since making his professional debut last October. He spent the early part of 2020 in camp with Tyson Fury as the lineal heavyweight champion readied to battle Deontay Wilder. When boxing returned, Anderson knocked out Johnnie Langston in three rounds in June and stopped Hector Perez in one round the following month. Hernandez (13-9-2, 4 KOs) has four wins over previously undefeated prospects, including a first-round stoppage over Onoriode Ehwarieme, who was 17-0 at the time.
In other undercard action:
San Antonio native Jesse “Bam” Rodriguez (11-0, 7 KOs), a light flyweight prospect promoted by Teiken Promotions, will take on Puerto Rican veteran Janiel Rivera (18-6-3, 11 KOs) in an eight-rounder. Rodriguez has won three straight by knockout, including an eighth-round stoppage Feb. 29 on the Mikey Garcia-Jessie Vargas undercard.
In a six-round battle of unbeaten welterweights, Christopher Gonzalez (7-0-1, 1 KO) will face D’Andre Smith (8-0, 5 KOs). Gonzalez, a ticket-seller in his hometown of Tucson, Ariz., has won four in a row since the lone draw on his ledger.
Colombian puncher Ruben Cervera (12-2, 10 KOs), who defeated Clay “3rd Degree” Burns via decision July 14 inside the “Bubble,” will fight New Orleans native Rennard Oliver (7-2-3, 0 KOs) in a six-rounder at junior lightweight.
Edward “Kid” Vazquez (7-0, 1 ND, 1 KO), from Fort Worth, Texas, will make his “Bubble” debut against Adan “Temo” Ochoa (11-1, 4 KOs) in a six-round junior lightweight tilt.
Philadelphia native Rashiem Jefferson (1-0), a former U.S. amateur star, will return to the ring against Jose Martinez (2-1, 1 KO) in a four-rounder at featherweight.
About ESPN+
ESPN+ is the industry-leading sports streaming service from Disney’s Direct-to-Consumer and International (DTCI) segment and ESPN. Launched in April 2018, ESPN+ has grown to 8.5 million subscribers, offering fans in the U.S. thousands of live sports events, original programming not available on ESPN’s linear TV or digital networks, as well as premium editorial content.
Fans subscribe to ESPN+ for just $5.99 a month (or $49.99 per year) at ESPNplus.com, ESPN.com or on the ESPN App (mobile and connected devices). It is also available as part of The Disney Bundle offer that gives subscribers access to Disney+, ESPN+ and Hulu (ad-supported) — all for just $12.99/month
