Anthony Joshua, British heavyweight boxer, conceded two (2) knockdowns, with the first happening inside just twenty (20) seconds, before finding his feet to down Kristian Prenga in the second round of his comeback fight in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia on Saturday 25 July, 2026.
Joshua was in the ring for the first time since surviving a car accident in Nigeria in December, 2025; the mishap claimed the lives of his close friends Sina Ghami and Latif ‘Latz’ Ayodele.
The Briton was stunned by a massive uppercut from the Albanian heavyweight boxer in the first round, and later in the round, the two-time heavyweight champion hit the canvas.
At that instant, it appeared Joshua will suffer one of the biggest shock defeats in his career as uncertainty started to manifest in the much-awaited fight against fellow British heavyweight boxer, Tyson Fury.
However, the Brit recovered and pulled off one of the greatest escapes in his fights so far to ensure the fight against ‘The Gypsy King’ happens.
In the second round, Joshua launched a powerful right on his Albanian opponent with the final shot forcing Prenga down and the referee stopping the bout.
In his post-victory comments, 36-year old Joshua said, what he unleashed on Prenga was “spirit” and not “punch power” alone; he added, it was “Latz and Sina” and that it “hurts” talking about what happened.
Joshua said: “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. It’s my brothers. I don’t want to talk about it.”
On fighting against Fury, Joshua said: “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.”
The long-anticipated fight between Joshua and Fury will eventually take place. Contracts have been signed, but, the venue and time remain unknown.
