Anthony Joshua secured a dramatic second-round stoppage victory over Kristian Prenga in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, despite suffering two knockdowns in the opening round. The British heavyweight was competing for the first time since a car crash in Nigeria in December, which resulted in the deaths of his friends Sina Ghami and Latif ‘Latz’ Ayodele.
Joshua, 36, was knocked down by an uppercut from Prenga just 20 seconds into the first round and again later in the same round. He recovered to deliver a series of right hands in the second round, with the final blow sending Prenga to the canvas and prompting the referee to stop the contest.
Emotional Return to the Ring
The fight marked Joshua’s return to professional boxing following a challenging period. He had the names of Ghami and Ayodele on his chest and walked to the ring with his team, a gesture of unity. The canvas also displayed their names along with the words ‘My Brother’s Keeper’.
Joshua described the victory as more than just punch power, attributing it to spirit and the memory of his friends and their families. He stated, “It’s my brothers. I don’t want to talk about it,” becoming emotional when discussing the loss.
His comeback fight began with an early scare when Prenga, who had 20 knockouts from 20 victories, landed a right uppercut that sent Joshua down. Joshua smiled as he rose, and later in the round, a left uppercut put him on the canvas once more.
Despite appearing unsteady at the start of the second round, Joshua capitalised when Prenga began to box defensively. Joshua drew Prenga onto a jab before landing a powerful right hand, followed by additional rights that led to the stoppage. This was Prenga’s second career loss.
Looking Ahead to a Potential Super-Fight
This victory improves Joshua’s record to 30-4. It was his first fight against a recognised professional opponent since his bout with Daniel Dubois. His only other fight since then was against Jake Paul in December, shortly before the fatal crash.
There had been speculation that Tyson Fury might attend the fight, despite his earlier statements that he would not. Fury, who had his own warm-up win against Mariusz Wach in Thailand, was not present in Jeddah.
Contracts for a fight between Joshua and Fury have been signed, though the venue and date for the anticipated bout remain unconfirmed. Promoter Eddie Hearn confirmed the contract agreement, stating that the night was about Joshua’s strength in overcoming recent adversity.
The fight between Joshua and Fury is understood to have been agreed for November and is expected to stream on Netflix. While British fans hope for a homecoming event, reports indicate that Saudi organisers and broadcasters favour a venue in the United States to appeal to American audiences.
Joshua expressed his respect for Fury’s achievements but also his readiness for the fight, hoping fans would enjoy the spectacle. Hearn noted that no one truly understood what Joshua had endured over the past seven months, admitting he initially thought Joshua had returned too soon after the first-round knockdowns.
Source: bbc.com