Anthony Joshua survived one of the most dramatic opening rounds of his career to knock out Kristian Prenga in the second round of their heavyweight contest in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, keeping alive the long-awaited showdown with fellow Briton Tyson Fury. The victory, sealed in front of a stunned crowd at the Jeddah Superdome, marked Joshua’s first appearance in the ring since a car crash in Nigeria in December that killed two of his close friends.
The night began disastrously for Anthony Joshua, who was floored inside the first 30 seconds by a vicious uppercut from the Albanian knockout specialist. Prenga, who arrived in Jeddah with a record of 20 wins from 21 fights, 20 of them by knockout, sensed an opportunity and pressed forward. He put Joshua down for a second time before the end of the opening round, raising serious questions about whether the former two-time world champion could recover from such an alarming start.
Anthony Joshua beat the count both times, though he looked visibly shaken as he returned to his corner at the end of round one. Few observers expected the fight to swing so dramatically in the very next round, and even heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk, watching from ringside, appeared visibly startled by what unfolded next.
Early in the second round, Anthony Joshua unleashed a rapid combination of punches that caught Prenga cold. A thunderous right hand sent the Albanian crashing through the ropes and onto the canvas, bringing the contest to an emphatic end. The comeback victory improved Joshua’s professional recordto 30 wins from 34 fights, with 27 of those wins coming by knockout, and it marked his second consecutive win following a victory over Jake Paul last year, just weeks before the crash that upended his life.
After the fight, an emotional Anthony Joshua dedicated the win to his late friends Sina Ghami and Latif ‘Latz’ Ayodele, both of whom died in the December accident. He told the crowd that the performance was about more than punching power, describing it as a matter of spirit and family, and admitted that even discussing the tragedy remained difficult for him.
The result clears the path for a blockbuster all-British heavyweight showdown between Anthony Joshua and Tyson Fury, who is reported to have already signed contracts for a bout later this year, contingent on both fighters coming through their respective bouts over the weekend unscathed. Fury held up his end of the arrangement on Friday night in Pattaya, Thailand, forcing 46-year-old Mariusz Wach to retire in the seventh round of a non-televised contest.
With both former world champions now victorious, attention has turned to when and where the long-mooted Joshua-Fury fight will actually take place. Promoters have pointed to November as the likely timeframe, though no venue has yet been confirmed. Joshua’s promoter, Eddie Hearn, has indicated that the United States remains the preferred location for organisers, even as speculation continues that Wembley Stadium in London could host the event in the early hours of the morning to accommodate a global broadcast audience.
Speaking after his win over Wach, Fury questioned whether Anthony Joshua would have the nerve to finally face him in the ring, comments that Anthony Joshua later addressed directly. He vowed to bring his most ferocious form to the contest, while also acknowledging the magnitude of the occasion for boxing fans who have waited years to see the two rivals collide.
Anthony Joshua also had generous words for his opponent after the fight, praising Prenga’s toughness and predicting a bright future for the young Albanian despite the defeat. He suggested that promoter Eddie Hearn would likely be interested in signing Prenga, describing him as strong, durable, and a fighter who gave him a genuine test inside the ring.
For Anthony Joshua, the victory represents both a personal and professional turning point. Having overcome immense grief and a nightmarish start against Prenga, he now stands on the brink of the fight that has eluded British boxing for years. Should the bout with Tyson Fury be finalised as expected, it promises to be one of the most anticipated heavyweight clashes of the decade, pitting two of the sport’s most recognisable names against each other for the first time in their careers.
