American cruiserweight fighter reflects on sparring with Anthony Joshua
- Joe Hewlett
- 9 August 2021
"It put me in a place to believe in myself and see what I have too."
Andrew Tabiti has revealed what it was like to spar alongside Anthony Joshua for his rematch bout with Andy Ruiz Jr.
The American - who fell short in the World Boxing Super Series with defeat to Yuniel Dorticos at 200lbs - ended 2019 with a positive experience of sharing the ring with the unified heavyweight champion.
Joshua would avenge his sole defeat in the Middle East and become a two-time heavyweight titlist and in doing so, is the youngest fighter to achieve the status at 30.
Alongside Mayweather Promotions' CEO Leonard Ellerbe, the pair spoke on Instagram live and answered questions asked by the fans.
One was quick to ask him about what it was like to do a camp with Joshua.
"Training was good," Tabiti said. "It was real good. We just went out there and gained experience from a world class fighter. It put me in a place to believe in myself and see what I have too.
"Going out there to help one of the best heavyweight champions of the world get ready. It was also a confidence booster for myself. It was a real great experience to go to a different country," Tabiti said.
Answering the following question about being the Brit's most competitive sparring partner, The Beast added: "Most definitely. I can definitely say that I was his number one sparring partner.
"If you see the highlights of the fight you see he had a similar style to me. I saw a lot of myself in him. Whatever I gave him, he won the fight and I am just happy for him," Tabiti said.
