By Keith Idec
When Anthony Joshua and Wladimir Klitschko fight Saturday in London, it won’t be the first time they square off against one another.
Joshua, 27, and Klitschko, 41, boxed between 20 and 25 rounds during the fall of 2014 in Austria. Joshua, then just one year into his pro career, was one of Klitschko’s sparring partners for the former heavyweight champion’s fifth-round knockout win against Bulgaria’s Kubrat Pulev in November 2014.
England’s Joshua detailed the experience Wednesday during a conference call with reporters. Joshua (18-0, 18 KOs) made mental notes of those sparring sessions, but the knockout artist from suburban London learned more about how to organize a championship training camp than anything.
“I’m not a gym fighter, so I don’t go to prove anything in the sparring,” Joshua said. “I went there mainly to see how the champion sets up training camp. But our sparring, it was good. Wladimir kept it technical. He would try and maneuver you with his [jab] hand and put you in position to throw his right hand. So yeah, that’s what I got from Klitschko.
“He’s patient and he was just trying to set me up, so he could throw his shots. And I was working on defense, jabbing to the body, jabbing to the head. And then I’d go back to the corner, and [James Ali] Bashir [Klitschko’s assistant trainer] would say, ‘Stick it on the champ.’ And I would say, ‘Nah, nah. I’m not here for that. I’m not here to prove anything. I wanna watch. I wanna analyze.’ And that’s what I got from sparring, just how he operates in the ring and I learned how a champion sets up training camp.”
Klitschko (64-4, 53 KOs), who’ll end a 17-month layoff against Joshua, considered that work beneficial for his preparation for their scheduled 12-round fight Saturday at a sold-out Wembley Stadium.
“Well, I believe we learned each other well,” Klitschko told HBO Sports during an interview Thursday in London. “We spent more than 20 rounds of sparring with each other in the camp, and we know what to expect. So we’re well-prepared. He knows that. I know that as well.”
Ukraine’s Klitschko, about a 2-1 underdog, will try to win back the IBF, IBO and WBA heavyweight titles he lost to Tyson Fury in November 2015 when he faces Joshua in a fight Showtime will televise live.
Showtime’s coverage will begin at 4:15 p.m. ET/1:15 p.m. PT on Saturday. Joshua-Klitschko will be replayed by HBO at 11 p.m. ET/PT.
Sky Sports Box Office will broadcast Joshua-Klitschko on pay-per-view in the United Kingdom.
Keith Idec is a senior writer/columnist for BoxingScene.com. He can be reached on Twitter @Idecboxing.
