Zhan Kossobutskiy was forced to withdraw from Anderson bout due to a delay in obtaining his visa
The highly anticipated homecoming fight for heavyweight prodigy Jared “The Real Big Baby” Anderson is proceeding as planned, although with a last-minute change in the rival corner. Zhan Kossobutskiy, the undefeated contender from Kazakhstan, had to bow out due to visa acquisition delays, paving the way for ex-world champion “Prince” Charles Martin to step up to the challenge. The clash with Anderson is set to take place on Saturday, July 1, at the Huntington Center in Toledo, Ohio.
ANDERSON VS. MARTIN START TIME
Date: Saturday July 1
Time: 9 pm ET / 2 am BST (Sunday morning)
Main event ringwalks (approx): 11pm ET / 4am BST
The fight is being held at the Huntington Center, Toledo.
Viewers in the US can watch the fight live on ESPN, In the UK, the event will be broadcast on Sky Sports.
The broadcast of the main event is set to start at around 9pm ET / 2am BST, with the main event due to begin at around 11pm ET / 4am BST. These times are approximate and could change based on the length of the fights on the undercard.
The heavyweight encounter between Anderson and Martin, accompanied by another 10-round heavyweight duel between undefeated pugilists Arslanbek Makhmudov and Nigeria’s Raphael Akpejiori, will be telecast live on ESPN, ESPN Deportes, and ESPN+ at 10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT.
“I’ve always stood by my word to fight anyone, anytime, anywhere,” proclaimed Martin, “If it means seizing a major opportunity on less than two weeks’ notice, I’m game. I’m ready. If I can’t draw the best fighters of my era into the ring, then I’ll take on the best of the new generation. My sights are set on being a two-time heavyweight champion. To achieve that, I need to conquer Jared Anderson.”
Anderson (14-0, 14 KOs) has only been pushed beyond three rounds twice in his career, which commenced with a first-round stoppage in October 2019. From April 2021 to December 2022, he chalked up five consecutive second-round knockouts, including one against the ordinarily resilient Jerry Forrest. In April 2023, Anderson kick-started his campaign with a third-round stoppage against the hitherto undefeated George Arias.
Martin (29-3-1, 26 KOs), a 37-year-old heavyweight hailing from St. Louis, clinched the IBF heavyweight world title in January 2016, defeating Vyacheslav Glazkov with a third-round TKO. Martin relinquished his title to Anthony Joshua in less than three months but has remained a formidable contender in the heavyweight category. Post the Joshua defeat, Martin boasts a 6-2 record, including a memorable stoppage against Gerald Washington in 2020. His most recent victory was a fourth-round knockout of Devin Vargas in Los Angeles last September.
ANDERSON MARTIN FIGHT CARD
Jared Anderson vs. Charles Martin, 10 rounds, heavyweights
Arslanbek Makhmudov vs. Raphael Akpejiori, 10 rounds, heavyweight
DeAndre Ware vs. Decarlo Perez, 6 rounds, super middleweights
Tiger Johnson vs. Jonathan Montreal, 8 rounds, junior welterweights
Abdullah Mason vs. Alex de Oliveira, 6 rounds, lightweights
Tyler McCreary vs. Deivi Julio, 6 rounds, junior lightweights
Dante Benjamin Jr. vs. Mirady Zola, 6 rounds, light heavyweights
Husam Al Mashhadi vs. Rance Ward, 6 rounds, junior middleweights
Jahi Tucker vs. Nicklaus Flaz, 8 rounds, junior middleweights
