There is a sense that Ryad Merhy is playing with house money.

A big step up in class awaits the visiting Belgian, who faces unbeaten heavyweight contender Jared Anderson. The bout is just the fourth above the cruiserweight limit for Merhy, a former secondary WBA cruiserweight titlist.

The end game, he insists, is a shot at the WBC bridgerweight title. Merhy is the current mandatory challenger and plans to drop back down to the WBC-created 224-pound division.

That could change, depending on the outcome of Saturday’s heavyweight clash at American Bank Center in Corpus Christi, Texas

“It’s a great opportunity to fight on such a big stage,” Merhy told The Ring. “Jared Anderson is one of the best up and coming heavyweights in the world.

“Of course, when we win it will create more demand for me to fight here again. When that happens, we will be happy to grab it.”

ESPN will air their scheduled ten-round main event, beginning at 10:00 p.m. ET/9:00 p.m. local time.

Merhy (32-3, 26 knockouts) carries the same mindset into this bout as was the case in his previous outing. In his third fight above cruiserweight, Merhy earned a ten-round decision over 2016 Olympic Gold medalist Tony Yoka.

The fight took place on the road in Yoka’s hometown of Paris, France. One fight prior came a twelve-round defeat to Kevin Lerena last May 13 in Kempton Park, South Africa.

Saturday marks his third straight fight in his opponent’s home country after having spent most of his career in Belgium. It doubles as his U.S. debut, a dream for most fighters though just a matter of circumstance here.

“We have never dreamed of fighting in the U.S.,” admitted Merhy. “It was one of those things where it was great if it happened but I wouldn’t have been disappointed if the chance never came along.

“But it’s here and we plan to make the most of it. I am 30 years old, so now is the time to explore these situations. It wasn’t really a goal to fight on the road this often, but again it always comes down to the best opportunities.”

This one comes in the form of a longshot chance.

BetMGM lists Merhy as a +550 underdog. The same sportsbook views Anderson (16-0, 15 KOs), No. 7 at heavyweight by The Ring, as a -800 favorite.

Merhy weighed a career-heaviest 235.6 pounds at Friday’s official weigh-in. It’s nearly 50 pounds heavier than his June 2013 pro debut. He hovered around the 200-pound mark for most of his cruiserweight run before he moved up in 2022.

Even with the extra carried weight, the 5’11½” Merhy is still the significantly smaller fighter on Saturday. The 6’4” Anderson checked in at 250.9 pounds, his heaviest in three years for the career-long heavyweight.

A win on Saturday will ignite a 2024 campaign that will see Anderson continue to develop as a contender.

For Merhy, even an upset win doesn’t necessarily realize his next goal. He held an interim and ‘Regular’ version of the WBA title at cruiserweight. The plan amongst his team is to win a major belt. That won’t happen at heavyweight, where all of the divisional hardware is tied up through the end of the year.

A clearer path exists at bridgerweight, even if a slightly longer-than-expected wait.

It didn’t sit well that he was passed over for a title shot while as the mandatory challenger. Former WBO cruiserweight titlist Lawrence Okolie will next challenge WBC 224-pound beltholder Lukasz Rozanski on May 24 in Rzeszow, Poland.

Still, Merhy fully expects to face the winner of that bout later this year. It could come even with a loss on Saturday. The more ideal scenario is for it to come on the heels of—far and away—his career-best win.

“Cruiserweight is done. I am too big for that division but I can still get back down to bridgerweight. That will be the plan unless something very big comes along at heavyweight after I beat Jared Anderson.

“All of the titles are tied up at heavyweight, and our goal is to win world titles in multiple divisions. That’s why I keep looking at bridgerweight. That will be the division I plan to conquer.”

Jake Donovan is a senior writer for The Ring and vice president of the Boxing Writers Association of America.

Follow @JakeNDaBox

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