Anthony Joshua secured a dramatic second-round victory over Kristian Prenga in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, despite suffering two knockdowns in the opening round. The British heavyweight was fighting for the first time since a car crash in Nigeria claimed the lives of his friends, Sina Ghami and Latif ‘Latz’ Ayodele.
The fight began chaotically for Joshua, who was floored by a powerful uppercut from Prenga just 20 seconds into the first round. He was subsequently knocked down again later in the same round, leading to speculation about a potential upset. However, Joshua managed to recover, unleashing a series of right hands in the second round that ultimately led to the referee stopping the contest.
Joshua, who is 36, spoke emotionally after the fight, attributing his resilience to his friends. He stated, “It’s more than punch power. That was spirit, that was Latz, that was Sina, that was the families. It hurts to even talk about it. It has been tough.” He also added, “It’s my brothers. I don’t want to talk about it.”
Emotional Return and Dramatic Recovery
Joshua’s return to the ring was marked by a quiet show of unity, as he carried the names of Ghami and Ayodele on his chest and walked to the ring with his entire team. The canvas also bore their names alongside the words ‘My Brother’s Keeper’. His comeback fight was his first against a recognized professional opponent since his match against Daniel Dubois in September 2024. His only other fight since then was against Jake Paul in December, which occurred 10 days before the fatal car crash that left him injured.
The initial moments of the fight were challenging for Joshua. After the first knockdown, Prenga, who had a record of 20 knockouts from 20 victories, sensed an opportunity. Promoter Eddie Hearn was observed giving instructions from ringside, while Joshua’s stablemate, Oleksandr Usyk, watched with apparent concern. A second left uppercut later in the round sent Joshua to the canvas once more.
Despite being unsteady at the start of the second round, Joshua’s experience and emotion appeared to take over. He drew Prenga in with a jab before delivering a crushing right hand, followed by additional rights that caused Prenga to collapse, prompting the referee to halt the fight. This marked Prenga’s second career defeat.
Preparations and Future Prospects
Ahead of the bout, Joshua weighed in at 251lbs, which was 7.6lbs heavier than his weight for his previous fight against Jake Paul in December 2025. Prenga, an Albanian boxer, scaled 261.4lbs, making him 10.4lbs heavier than Joshua. The heaviest Joshua has ever been for a fight was 255.4lbs when he defeated Jermaine Franklin in April 2023.
Prenga, who is 35, entered the fight with a strong record, having lost only once in his 21-fight career and securing each of his last 16 victories via knockout or TKO. Eddie Hearn had previously stated that Prenga was not an opponent seeking an easy payday, noting that he had the support of Albania behind him.
Joshua had been training with Oleksandr Usyk’s team in preparation for the fight. He revealed that Usyk’s team encouraged him to “show greatness” against Prenga, pushing him to improve his approach to training. He noted that while he is naturally strong and capable, his trainers wanted to see more from him, emphasizing that performing at a high level should be a normal expectation.
The victory sets the stage for a highly anticipated fight between Joshua and Tyson Fury. Contracts for this fight, which has been more than a decade in the making, have been signed. However, the specific venue and date for the contest are still unknown. Fury had previously claimed a seventh-round TKO victory over Mariusz Wach in Thailand shortly before Joshua’s fight. Despite earlier speculation, Fury did not attend Joshua’s fight, staying true to his word.
Joshua expressed his respect for Fury’s achievements, stating, “I respect everything he has done and everything that he has achieved, but as a fighting person, we’re here now. I hope the fans will be in for a lovely treat.”
This chaotic night ultimately belonged to Joshua, who secured a victory forged through adversity during a challenging period in his life.
Source: bbc.com
