Anthony Joshua survived two first-round knockdowns before producing a dramatic second-round stoppage victory over Kristian Prenga in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, keeping his planned blockbuster fight against Tyson Fury firmly on course.
The former unified heavyweight world champion recovered from the brink of what would have been one of the biggest upsets of his career to stop the previously unbeaten Albanian after six minutes of intense action in his first professional bout since December.
The victory came during an emotional return for Joshua, who had not fought since surviving a car crash in Nigeria last December that claimed the lives of two close friends, Sina Ghami and Latif “Latz” Ayodele.
Prenga stunned the British boxer just 20 seconds into the contest with a powerful right uppercut that sent Joshua to the canvas. The Albanian dropped him again later in the opening round with another uppercut, leaving the 36-year-old in serious trouble.
However, Prenga failed to capitalise on his advantage at the start of the second round. Joshua recovered, timed his opponent with a jab and landed a crushing right hand before following up with several heavy punches that forced the referee to stop the contest.
The win improved Joshua’s professional record to 30 victories and four defeats, with 27 wins coming by knockout or stoppage. It also handed Prenga only the second defeat of his professional career.
Emotional tribute to late friends
Joshua dedicated the victory to Ghami and Ayodele, whose names were printed on his ring attire and displayed on the canvas alongside the words “My Brother’s Keeper.”
“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,” Joshua said after the fight.
The Olympic gold medallist became emotional before stepping away from the microphone, later adding:
“It’s my brothers. I don’t want to talk about it.”
The fight marked Joshua’s first outing against a recognised professional opponent since his knockout defeat to Daniel Dubois in September 2024.
His only appearance since then had been an exhibition-style contest against YouTuber-turned-boxer Jake Paul shortly before the fatal accident in Nigeria.
Fury fight remains on course
Joshua’s victory is expected to clear the way for a long-awaited showdown with fellow British heavyweight, Tyson Fury.
The two former world champions have been linked with a fight for several years, but negotiations repeatedly failed to produce an agreement during their championship reigns.
Promoter Eddie Hearn confirmed after the bout that contracts for the fight have already been signed, although the venue and date are yet to be announced.
Joshua welcomed the prospect of finally sharing the ring with his long-time rival.
“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,” he said.
Hearn praises Joshua’s resilience
Hearn said the comeback reflected Joshua’s mental strength after a difficult period outside boxing.
“We’ve signed the contract. Everything is done,” Hearn said of the Fury fight.
“But tonight wasn’t about Tyson Fury. It was about the strength Anthony Joshua has shown just to be here.
“No-one knows what he’s been through over the last seven months. When he went down in the first round, I thought he’d come back too soon.”
