Anthony Joshua recovers from two knockdowns to stop Kristian Prenga
Joshua secures victory after early challenge
Anthony Joshua, a two-time heavyweight world champion, secured a second-round stoppage victory over Kristian Prenga at the Jeddah Superdome. The win came after Joshua endured a challenging first round, where he was knocked down twice. The fight is seen as a step towards a potential all-British showdown with Tyson Fury.
In the opening round, Joshua was visibly troubled, falling to the canvas early from a right hand followed by an uppercut. He appeared unsteady and was held up by the ropes to avoid a third knockdown before the bell. Carl Frampton, on studio analysis, described the initial moments as “The maddest five minutes of boxing I’ve ever seen.”
Despite the difficult start, Joshua regained composure in the second round. Prenga, who had built an advantage in the first, did not press his lead. Joshua landed a solid one-two combination early in the round, which Prenga struggled to recover from. A powerful right hand from Joshua then sent Prenga to the canvas, ending the bout.
Prenga’s background and Joshua’s recent challenges
Kristian Prenga entered the fight with a record of 20 victories, all by stoppage, and was on a 14-fight win streak since his only career defeat in 2017. However, the 35-year-old Albanian had not previously faced an opponent of Joshua’s caliber or performed on such a significant stage, making him a considerable underdog.
This bout marked Joshua’s first fight since a car crash in Nigeria in December 2025, which tragically claimed the lives of two close friends, Sina Ghami and Latif ‘Latz’ Ayodele. Joshua was discharged from the hospital after two days, and his promoter, Eddie Hearn, had previously stated that even slight movement in bed was excruciating during his early recovery. The emotional impact of these losses was evident, with Joshua having their names tattooed on his shoulder and a written dedication on the ring canvas.
During his post-fight interview, Joshua spoke emotionally about the past seven months, stating, “It’s been tough. That’s my brothers … I don’t want to talk about it.” He attributed the finishing punch to “spirit,” mentioning his friends and their families. This period followed a previous fight in December against Jake Paul in Miami, which Joshua won in the sixth round, and a shock fifth-round knockout loss to Daniel Dubois almost two years prior. After the Dubois fight, Joshua made changes, joining forces with former undisputed heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk and his training team, who was ringside in Jeddah.
Looking ahead to a potential Fury fight
The fight in Saudi Arabia was intended to pave the way for a long-anticipated clash with Tyson Fury. Fury had also recently competed in a warm-up bout, defeating Mariusz Wach in Thailand after seven rounds on Friday.
A fight between Joshua and Fury has been in development for a decade, with contracts reportedly signed for a blockbuster bout expected later this year. The location for this potential fight, whether in the UK or the U.S., remains unclear. Joshua, after his victory, called out, “Have we got Tyson Fury in the room?” and expressed his desire for the fight, stating, “There’s two side of this: One is fighting but also there’s respect. I respect everything he’s done but as a fighting person and someone who’s been calling for this fight for a long time we’re here now.”
Prior to the main event, Hamzah Sheeraz defended his WBO super-middleweight crown against Simon Zachenhuber. Sheeraz secured a narrow decision victory, with one judge scoring it 114-114, while the other two judges favored Sheeraz by two and four rounds respectively.
Source: nytimes.com
