The heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua is using Shokran Parwani as a sparring partner.
Parwani has experience in emulating the fighting style of Oleksandr Usyk.
Joshua will make a mandatory defense against Usyk on September 25 at the Tottenham Stadium in London.
“I have a little bit of the same style,” Parwani told Sky Sports. “I work more with my feet. I am a slick guy with a lot of movement. Usyk is also a slick guy, he isn’t a puncher. I saw him live in his fight with Marco Huck. He is very good, his IQ is very high, I rate him very highly. But he doesn’t have power. In rounds nine, 10 or 11? He won’t have the power to fight, and AJ will break him down.”
In the past, Parwani has been used as a sparring partner by Huck and Derek Chisora when they prepared for their respective fights with Usyk.
According to Parwani, he was praised by David Haye, the former manager of Chisora, for his ability to emulate Usyk’s style.
“It was good sparring. In the first round I thought: “Oh, it’s Chisora! Everybody spoke about him and now we’re sparring!”. But after the second or third round? I moved a lot and didn’t take a lot of hits,” Parwani.
“He was in the best shape of his life. Watch the fight against Usyk – he was orthodox then switched to southpaw. This was new. His pressure was extraordinary for a heavyweight. David Haye told me that I did a good job.”
