Jared Anderson ‘still learning to take on’ role as next American heavyweight star

Jared Anderson hasn’t quite found the balance yet.

Anderson (17-0, 15 KOs), who returns to the ring on Saturday on the stacked Terence Crawford-Israil Madrimov card against Martin Bakole (4:30 p.m. Eastern, ESPN+ PPV, DAZN PPV, PPV.com) at BMO Stadium in Los Angeles, has had a turbulent year outside the ring.

In March, he was arrested and charged with third-degree felony fleeing a police officer after allegedly fleeing police and leading them on a six-mile, high-speed chase before he crashed into the median.

He pleaded guilty to a reduced, misdemeanor charge.

And he was previously arrested in November and charged with improperly handling firearms in a vehicle while knowingly under the influence of alcohol or drugs and operating a vehicle under the influence.

He pleaded no contest to an amended charge of handling firearms, while the OVI charge was dropped.

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Widely regarded as boxing’s best American heavyweight up-and-comer on the cusp of title contention, Anderson, 24, admitted he still struggles with the expectations bestowed on him.

“That’s something I’m still learning to take on,” Anderson told The Post. “I’m not here to be nobody’s role model. I’m here to do a job and do that well. Unfortunately, villains get paid just as well as superheroes do in this sport. Whichever role I have to take on, I will. I would hope to think I’m one of the superheroes. But it gets turned in the other direction because people choose to make their own assumptions about me. It is what it is.”

Though he’s taken ownership of the two incidents, Anderson, a Toledo, Ohio native, doesn’t believe they have changed him much.

“Learning, I’ve felt as though just to be more mature in certain situations, I guess,” Anderson said. “But for the most part, I’m the same person, through and through. I’ve always been a good kid. I make mistakes just like everybody else, but I think I’ve proven myself enough — even through tragedies or mistakes, I own up to them and move forward.”

Unlike so many of his counterparts in the sport, labels don’t matter much to Anderson.

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Already, he’s been dubbed America’s next heavyweight champion and one of boxing’s best rising talents.

But Anderson doesn’t fight for attention, or labels, or fandom .

Anderson, who just days before Saturday’s bout welcomed his first child, a daughter, into the world, fights for himself, and his family.

“It’s not that meaningful to me,” Anderson said of the labels placed on him. “It’s meaningful to everyone else. Everybody’s gonna have their own opinion. I’m more than happy to be that for people, but I’m worried about myself and my future and my family. That’s what matters to me, not the look that I give people or how I come off to people.”

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Inside the ring, Anderson has hardly had a hiccup.

He’s yet to truly be tested, but his last fight, a unanimous decision win against Ryad Merhy, was perhaps the least exciting of his career.

Merhy was intent on not getting stopped, and his 144 punches thrown are the third-fewest in a 10-round bout in the 39-year history of CompuBox, preventing Anderson from showing off his punishing finishing power.

But Anderson believes Bakole (20-1, 15 KOs) will meet him in the middle of the ring and give him the type of fight he craves.

Though he has made mistakes outside the ring, it’s hard to find any Anderson has made once the bell rings.

He certainly doesn’t plan on that changing anytime soon.

“I don’t believe there will be a point where you see the greatness I can reach,” Anderson said. “Every time I step in the ring, you’re gonna see a little bit more, a little bit more. I don’t think there’s a ceiling or roof that I can really reach. I definitely think you’ll see more and better every time you see me step into the ring.”

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