Jared Anderson might be America's best heavyweight, and he has a chance to prove it - ESPN

DELRAY BEACH, Florida — Jared Anderson sits in a chair and laughs as SugarHill Steward wraps his hands at the Delray Beach Boxing gym, about 55 miles north of Miami.

Anderson just finished shadowboxing and is now ready for eight rounds of sparring with three different fighters. The 24-year-old turned pro almost five years ago and through 17 fights and his entire amateur career he was trained by childhood coach Darrie Riley.

Ahead of his first genuine litmus test, America's top heavyweight hopeful's corner is led by Steward, a disciple of the Kronk school of boxing, the famed Detroit gym where his uncle, Hall of Fame trainer Emanuel Steward, guided some of the best fighters ever.

Today, the younger Steward trains former heavyweight lineal champion Tyson Fury and now Anderson, who is looking to reach those same heights. He stands out among the next generation of heavyweights jockeying to replace the old guard led by Fury, Oleksandr Usyk, Anthony Joshua and Deontay Wilder (all 35 or older before 2024 is over).

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Anderson (17-0, 15 KOs) is a talented boxer, a switch-hitter with power and speed. He also possesses prototypical size for a heavyweight with his muscular 6-foot-4, 252-pound frame. He has shown improvement with every fight over the years, and there's a lot riding on Anderson's ability to reach the top level.

What Anderson lacks is a top-notch victory that proves he's more than just USA's latest hope in a long line of