Boxing: Saglam in good shape ahead of Parker bout

Yakup "The Scorpion" Saglam, 38, of Germany, at Waipukurau to promote heavyweight fight against Joseph Parker. Photo / Anendra Singh.

Yakup Saglam is the latest man to try and derail Joseph Parker's promising start to his heavyweight boxing career and he has arrived in Palmerston North in good shape.

The German, who sports a padded 34-3, 1 NC record, tipped the scales at a trim 100.7kg in Manawatu today ahead of tomorrow's meeting with Parker (13-0) where the 23-year-old will put his regional belts on the line.

Parker weighed-in at 106.6kg and also looked in good nick but it is the 1.93m Saglam who forms a man of intrigue heading in to the bout.

He is the German heavyweight champion and while his list of opponents isn't a "who's who" of the sport, he has dispatched many of them in the opening rounds. Of his 34 wins, 31 have come via knockout.

"Anything is possible in heavyweights," he said through a translator when asked if he had what it takes to stop Parker.

At 38, Saglam is on the downside of his career and the bookies have written him off with Parker installed as a red-hot $1.04 favourite. Saglam is at $9 for the 12-round affair.

"The training camp that we've had has been a tremendous training camp," Parker declared as he stepped off the scales.

In the premier undercard bout that is also scheduled for 12 rounds, Australian welterweight Jeff Horn (9-0-1), who weighed in at 66.3kg, will meet Ghana's Richmond Djarbeng (19-2-1).

Djarbeng looked to be struggling in the Palmerston North cold as he had two pairs of tracksuit pants on at the weigh-ins where he tipped in at 65.45kg.

Also on the undercard, Parker's premier training partner Izuagbe Ugonoh (11-0) will give up plenty of height and weight when he meets American heavyweight Julius Long (16-17) over eight rounds.

Ugonoh, who weighed 104kg and stands 1.93m, looked up at Long, who weighed 130.5kg and is listed anywhere between 2.06m and 2.16m, depending on who you believe.

Super middleweights Joseph Blackbourn (8-0-1) and Friday Nwaiwu (3-5-1), who battled to a draw in March, will meet again tomorrow over six rounds to settle the score.

Blackbourn, a former top-ranked amateur, weighed 75.8kg, while Australia's Nwaiwu was 73.8kg.

Christchurch middleweight Bowyn Morgan (3-0) weighed in at 69.25kg ahead of his six-round bout with Luke Travers (2-1). Australia's Travers chose not to weigh-in today and will have until some time tomorrow to make weight.

Dave Letele, aka the Brown Buttabean, will potentially meet two opponents in one night in corporate bouts. Firstly, Canterbury Bulls rugby league player JaeJae Smith will take him on and if Letele is victorious, he will meet local doorman Lordly Kaihua.