Jared " Real Big Baby " Anderson,
the 25-year-old from Toledo, Ohio, returned from his upset loss to Martin Bakole in August to win a unanimous decision over Marios Kollias, with two judges scoring the fight 99-91 and the third finding another round for Kollias to turn in a scorecard of 98-92.
Anderson, 18-1 (15 KOs), may have jinxed himself after the first round, telling new trainer Prenice Brewer that he wasn’t keen to go the full distance. Instead of knocking out the Sweden-based Greek, Anderson found himself in another tough test as the durable Kollias showed he could take Anderson’s best punch and fire back.
While Kollias brought power and durability, Anderson had a distinct edge in speed and skill, using his range to dominate the fight at mid-range behind his jab.
Anderson found success throughout the bout with his body punching, which opened up punches upstairs, leaving Kollias’ face marked up. Kollias wasn’t going anywhere, however, and was able to land punches inside, particularly when Anderson would pull straight back out of exchanges.
Kollias had his best success in the final five seconds of the fight, hanging Anderson on the ropes to land three to four power shots that drew “oohs” from the crowd. Anderson turned to Kollias to suggest that the punches had no effect, and soon the two embraced in mutual respect.
With the win, Anderson gets back on track after his fifth-round knockout loss to Martin Bakole last August.
The 33-year-old Kollias drops to 12-4-1 (10 KOs).
Anderson could gradually grow into the game; he's got time on hand.
By Samuel Opoku Amoah
Be the First to Comment