Anthony Joshua reveals his sparring partners ahead of world heavyweight title fight with Alexander Povetkin

Joshua will put his WBA (Super), IBF and WBO titles on the line when he fights Povetkin at Wembley on 22 September

Anthony Joshua has revealed the boxers he will sparring with ahead of his world title fight against WBA mandatory challenger Alexander Povetkin.

Joshua will put his WBA (Super), IBF and WBO titles on the line when he fights Povetkin at Wembley on 22 September.

It will be the 28-year-old’s third fight at the national stadium, after his dramatic victory over Wladimir Klitschko last year, as well as an easy knockout win over Matt Legg in May 2014, on the Carl Froch vs George Groves undercard.

And with a month to go until the Povetkin fight, Joshua has announced who he will be sparring with to help him get into shape ahead of the contest.

On Instagram, Joshua posted a picture of himself sitting in between heavyweights Martin Bakole and Agit Kabayel, along with the caption: “Good sparring with a Future Champion and European Champion.”

As the current European heavyweight champion Kabayel is the better known of the pair, particularly after he beat Dereck Chisora on points late last year.

The 25-year-old German boxer is seen as one of the rising stars of the division, with an unbeaten professional record of 18-0.

He has stopped 13 of his opponents, last fighting in April when he retained the European title with a comprehensive knockout win against Miljan Rovcanin, in Berlin.

Joshua’s other sparring partner is Martin Bakole, a Congolese heavyweight based in Airdrie with a pro record of 11-0.

The African boxer is a phenomenal talent, with former lineal featherweight world champion Barry McGuigan identifying him as a former world champion.

Joshua sat between his two new sparring partners (@anthony_joshua)

“Bakole is some talent,” he wrote in his column for The Mirror. “He might not look like a fighter but he moves like one and I would argue he is the most naturally gifted heavyweight on the scene.

“Give him a year and he will be ready to challenge for a world title.”

Crucially both Kabayel and Bakole are short, stocky heavyweights, just like Povetkin.