Ring Observer Boxing by Scoop Malinowski
A very interesting heavyweight showdown of two very highly regarded undefeated prospects Jared “Big Baby” Anderson vs. Zhan Kossobutskiy of Kazakhstan will be contested in Toledo, Ohio on July 1.
Anderson, 23 years old, is 14-0 with 14 KO’s while Kossobutskiy is 34 years old with a 19-0 record (18 KOs). Both have earned top 10 world rankings.
Question: Based on the fights that you saw, how can you evaluate Jared Anderson as a boxer?
Scoop Malinowski: Anderson looks very good, technical, fairly dynamic, he looks the part, not as extraordinary as young Tyson, Lennox, Klitschkos, but let’s wait and see. He has nice potential.
Questions from Alexandr Strelnikov from www.sport.kz
Question: Can we say that this is the Top Rank’s prospect, whose promotion leads to the title of World Champion?
Scoop Malinowski: Top Rank is grooming him to be the future champion and he’s progressing to the destination well. Easy ride so far, let’s see how he deals with the bumps of adversity and much better opposition.
Question: Zhan Kossobutskiy is practically unknown in the USA. Don’t you think he got this fight for that very reason? That Anderson’s team doesn’t really know the Kazakhstani?
Scoop Malinowski: It’s a surprise the Anderson team has picked the little known but very dangerous and skilled Kossobutskiy. They either have supreme confidence in Anderson’s capabilities now – or they have made a catastrophic misjudgement. We have a fascinating heavyweight fight to look forward to here.
Question: What do you think about such a boxer as Kossobutskiy?
Scoop Malinowski: Kossobutskiy is impressive beating who he’s beaten. Now he has the big fight in USA that he’s been waiting for. Let’s see how it inspires his performance vs Anderson.
Question: One gets the feeling that Zhan will be taken to Jared’s hometown for to be devoured by Jared. Do you have a similar feeling?
Scoop Malinowski: Yes, Bob Arum rarely makes bad errors like overestimating and mismatching one of his key young assets like Anderson. The last one I can think of is Mayweather vs Castillo 1. Al Haymon made big mistakes matching Cristobal Arreola vs Tomasz Adamek and Seth Mitchell with Johnathan Banks. I wonder if Kossobutskiy, now 34, has stagnated because of all the mediocre fights? I wonder if he has that burning obsession to be the best? The moment of truth is here. Does he have those ambitions or is he content to just be a hired opponent?
Question: How big are the chances that Kossobutskiy will break all the plans of Anderson’s team, in your opinion? In general, is it possible to expect a competitive battle here, do you think? Will such a fight bring Zhan some fame in the USA?
Scoop Malinowski: Anderson is probably the second biggest heavyweight name in American boxing now but that’s not saying much. I think the winner of this fight will have earned a world title shot vs Usyk or Fury. Hopefully Kossobutskiy is coming to win, not serve as the opponent.
