Andriy Rudenko was the perfect opponent for Jared Anderson.
Anderson, coming off a tough test against capable veteran Charles Martin, dominated and then knocked out the grossly overmatched Ukrainian in the fifth round of a scheduled 10-rounder Saturday at Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
Rudenko had gone the distance with the likes of Alexander Povetkin and Zhilei Zhang, which made Anderson’s knockout particularly impressive.
Anderson was understated in his post-fight interview in the ring in spite of the dramatic ending, an indication that he knows his victory was just another step toward realizing his goals in the sport.
“You know I’m just staying calm, staying patient, listening to my corner, just enjoying it, enjoying the ride, enjoying the fights and just doing my job,” he said.
Anderson (16-0, 15 KOs) was rocked by Martin in the fifth round and was taken the distance for the first time in his young career in their July 1 meeting.
His handlers’ response to that? Pair him with a rugged, but crude 39-year-old opponent who would not be a serious threat to their rising star.
Anderson (16-0, 15 KOs) dominated Rudenko (35-7, 21 KOs) from the outset. He used his jab to set up a high volume of power shots thrown in combinations, including many punishing blows to Rudenko’s big body.
And while Rudenko tried to fire back — when he wasn’t holding — he landed few punches of his own, the result of Anderson’s defensive abilities.
By the final round, Rudenko had simply taken too many punches from Anderson. The 23-year-old from Toledo, Ohio, was pounding Rudenko against the ropes unmercifully and nothing was coming back, which prompted the referee to stop the fight.
The official time of the stoppage was 1:40 of Round 5.
Anderson landed 72 punches to Rudenko’s body, according to CompuBox. That was more than half of his total punches landed, 141 (to only 38 for Rudenko).
He said the focus on the body was part of his strategy.
“It was definitely part of the plan,” he said. “We just know that you start with the body and the head will fall. That’s exactly what we started with. And you saw it worked.”
Anderson is ranked by all four major sanctioning bodies, as high as No. 5 by the WBO, in spite of his youth.
If he continues to win, a shot at a world title isn’t far off. And if he fights anything like he did on Saturday, he could have success when the opportunity comes.
