Klitschko puts the polish on Parker

Joseph Parker hopes a lesson from world heavyweight boxing champion Wladimir Klitschko will help him maintain his unbeaten record this weekend.

Parker takes on German champion Yakup Saglam in Palmerston North on Saturday night, his first fight since attending Klitschko’s last training camp in Florida where the 23-year-old sparred with the champion and earned his praise.

Now Parker wants to put some of his learnings into practice as he fights for the 14th time as a professional.

Parker says the biggest impact Klitschko had on him – apart from landing a few decent shots – was his attention to detail. The Ukrainian made it clear that he leaves nothing to chance with his preparations and that spills into his performance.

‘‘The biggest thing I learned was the focus that he had,’’ Parker said of Klitschko.

‘‘Every training session that he did, and sometimes you could see that he was tired, sore and in pain, but the focus that he had, just doing everything right and focusing on the small details.

‘‘A lot of people do forget about the small details.’’

Parker has a bit on his plate with this fight. He has an opponent similar in physical stature and while Saglam might not have the fast hands that make Parker so dangerous, he does have a big bang with 31 of his 34 victories coming via knockout and usually early in his fights.

Parker should win comfortably, but he has been guilty of wandering from game plans, a product of his inexperience and general enthusiasm to get things done quickly.

He will need to adhere to trainer Kevin Barry’s advice for this fight against an opponent they believe will bring some questionable tactics to the ring.

Parker feels his time in camp with Klitschko will help him prepare for a European style of fighting he expects Saglam to bring to the ring.

‘‘A lot of those guys on that side of the world have similar styles so I think that is going to help,’’ Parker said. ‘‘Sparring Klitschko was a big confidence-booster for me. Being able to spar the champ and then him saying at the end he was impressed with my technique and skills just shows that we are heading the right way.’’