Anthony Joshua survived a major scare in his comeback fight against Kristian Prenga in Saudi Arabia, rising from two knockdowns to knock out the Albanian in the second round. The victory paves the way for a long-awaited showdown with Tyson Fury later this year, with both fighters having now completed their warm-up bouts.
Joshua was floored twice in the first round at the Jeddah Superdome, first by a thunderous uppercut and then later taking a knee. However, he recovered in the break and came out strongly in the second round, dropping Prenga through the ropes with a devastating punch to secure the 27th knockout of his career.
The win sets up a heavyweight clash with Fury, who one day earlier won his own warm-up fight against Mariusz Wach in Thailand. A deal has been agreed for the all-British showdown, though no venue has been confirmed.
Promoter Eddie Hearn suggested before the fight that the venue could be a stumbling block, with pressure for an American-friendly ring-walk time in other interviews. The bout is expected to take place later this year.
Joshua paid tribute to Prenga after the fight, saying: 'I also want to give a massive thank you to Kristian Prenga and his team for putting on a good fight. He’s a serious fighter, strong, durable, and he came and gave me a good test.'
