SAUDI ARABIA: Anthony Joshua Survives Two Knockdowns to Stop Prenga in Emotional Jeddah Comeback
Anthony Joshua survived two knockdowns, including one just 20 seconds into the fight, before roaring back to dramatically stop Kristian Prenga in the second round of his comeback bout in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
The British heavyweight was making his return to the ring for the first time since surviving a December car crash in Nigeria that claimed the lives of his close friends Sina Ghami and Latif ‘Latz’ Ayodele.
Joshua was rocked immediately by a huge right uppercut from underdog Prenga and hit the canvas. A second left uppercut later in the round sent him down again, and at that point he looked on the verge of one of the biggest shock defeats in heavyweight history. The long-awaited Tyson Fury fight suddenly looked in jeopardy.
But Joshua produced one of the greatest escapes of his career. He settled in the second round, drew Prenga in with a jab, and unleashed a crushing right hand that sent the Albanian crashing down. The referee stepped in to halt the contest.
“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, 36, said through tears.
He paused and stepped away from the microphone before adding: “It’s my brothers. I don’t want to talk about it.”
Joshua walked to the ring with the names of Ghami and Ayodele on his chest and ‘My Brother’s Keeper’ printed on the canvas in a quiet tribute. The emotion of the night was clear from the start.
Promoter Eddie Hearn admitted he feared Joshua had returned too soon after the first-round knockdowns. Prenga, who came in with 20 wins and 20 KOs, pushed Joshua to the brink but faded after the early success.
The win sets up the fight the sport has waited over a decade for. Contracts for a showdown with Tyson Fury are reportedly signed for November, with venue and date still to be confirmed. The bout is expected to stream on Netflix, with Saudi and US broadcasters pushing for an American location.
Fury, who won his own warm-up fight against Mariusz Wach in Thailand 24 hours earlier, did not appear in Jeddah despite speculation.
“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,” Joshua said of Fury.
This was not the dominant Joshua of old. It was a grittier, more emotional version. After a YouTuber fight with Jake Paul in December and the tragedy that followed 10 days later, this was never going to be straightforward.
But Joshua passed the test. And the Fury fight is finally on.