Anthony Joshua overcame two first-round knockdowns to knock out Kristian Prenga in the second round in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, setting the stage for a long-awaited clash with Tyson Fury. The former two-time world heavyweight champion was floored by a thunderous right uppercut within 20 seconds and again later in the round, but recovered to send Prenga through the ropes with a monstrous punch, securing his 27th career knockout.
Joshua, making his comeback after surviving a fatal car crash in Nigeria in December that killed two close friends, credited his opponent for a tough test. 'I also want to give a massive thank you to Kristian Prenga and his team for putting on a good fight,' he told DAZN. 'He’s a serious fighter, strong, durable, and he come and gave me a good test.'
After the fight, Joshua called out Fury, who had won a non-televised warm-up against Mariusz Wach in Thailand via seventh-round TKO the day before. However, Fury was not ringside in Saudi Arabia, and promoter Eddie Hearn indicated that the venue remains a potential stumbling block, with pressure for an American-friendly ring-walk time.
Boxing expert Steve Bunce voiced concerns on BBC Radio 5, stating: 'If there was any fighter inside the top 100 in the ring with Joshua tonight, we would be reading and running over the end of his career.'
