It’s a huge week in the life of Amir Anderson.
The 20-year-old American will make his professional debut on Saturday, but if things had gone differently, he could have been preparing for an Olympic airy heavyweight gold medal fight in Paris on Wednesday.
“Yeah, it’s definitely depressing to watch the Olympics and not see myself there,” Anderson told The Ring on Monday. “I have some bittersweet moments about it.
“I know if I was on Team USA I would have won the gold medal, so it was kind of their loss. But right now I’m just waiting for Misfits 16 and getting ready for my pro debut.”
Anderson, who won 10 national titles as an amateur and had a record of 88-12, tried to qualify for the Olympics but failed.
“I was fighting at the Olympic qualifiers and there was a situation where I was knocked down, [against Obed Bartee-El] and they stopped the fight,” he explained. “I continued fighting and won every minute of the fight after the knockdown.
“They reversed the decision, giving him the win in the fight. Then we went to arbitration, challenging the decision at the Olympic trials, and I won the appeal, so they reversed it in my favor. I finished the Olympic trials. I beat Steven Colome and Nathan Lugo.
“I went to camp to fight Rahim Gonzales, where I felt like I outperformed him in camp and in the competition, I was the winner. I went to the invitational competition and won against Eric Mendoza and Taylor Bevan and won by walkover against Rahim Gonzales. They pulled me aside and told me they didn’t pick me for Team USA after telling me if I won the tournament I would be the representative in the qualifiers. It was definitely disappointing, but there’s nothing I can do now.”
The Syracuse, Modern York native, who trains with Chris Burns, decided his future lay with professional wrestling and signed with Wasserman/Misfits.
“I did everything I could in the amateurs, except for the Olympics,” he said. “The way USA Boxing handled the Olympic Trials situation and then the selection process, why do we keep fighting and winning these tournaments that we’ve already won for an organization that doesn’t really care about us, cares about winning a medal instead of caring about the fighters.”
He will face Kijonti Davis (1-5, 1 KO) at the James Knight Convention Center in Miami, Florida as part of the Misfits 16 event on DAZN.
“I’m excited, I’ve been working on a lot of novel techniques and focused on slowing down and I feel like I’m sharper as a pro than I was as an amateur,” he said. “I’m ready to see for myself. I’m doing a six-round fight, it’ll be nippy to get three extra rounds in compared to the amateurs. I’m going to go in there, have fun and work on the things I’ve been working on in the gym.”
As a professional, Anderson will begin life as a middleweight. He was an elite amateur and looks to make his mark as a professional in the near future.
“My goal is to win a world title. When I was a kid, I fought tournament after tournament, I didn’t have any breaks, I tried to win a national title and I have the same mindset when I go to the pros,” he said. “I have to have that mindset to be consistent, stick to the plan, stay motivated and disciplined to win a world title.
“To keep consistent results for the next three or four years and finally get a shot at a world title. Join me in following my career as a little kid from Syracuse, Modern York.”
Kalle Sauerland of Wasserman Boxing is very pleased to have “Cashman” Anderson join his squad.
“We are very, very excited about it,” Sauerland said. “He is [one of] hottest next-generation talent from the US and we were really excited to get his signature because all the major promoters were after him. It was a huge win for the Misfits.”
MMA7 months ago
Interviews2 months ago
MMA7 months ago
Interviews2 months ago
MMA7 months ago
Boxing5 months ago
Interviews7 months ago
Opinions & Features2 months ago