Anthony Joshua has once again reminded Tyson Fury that he is the boss after signing a deal to fight his bitter rival. Joshua will first face Kristian Prenga in Riyadh on July 25 in what will be a warm-up fight for a long-awaited clash with Fury in November. It will be Joshua’s first bout since he was involved in a car crash in Nigeria in December that killed two close friends and his first appearance since knocking out YouTube star Jake Paul the same month.
All 20 of Albanian heavyweight Prenga’s wins have come by knockout, but he has yet to face an opponent in Joshua’s class. “It’s no secret I’ve taken some time to consolidate and rebuild to be ready for stepping back into the ring and this is the next step on that journey,” Joshua said. “I’m looking forward to competing and picking up where I left off. As I said, the landlord will collect his rent. That is certain.”
Joshua was repeating the "landlord" term he used after rejecting Fury's invite to join him in the ring earlier this month following his rival's win over Arslanbek Makhmudov. “I’m the boss, you work for me. I’m the landlord. You work for me,” he said at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
Prenga brings a record of 20 wins from his 21 fights, with each of his wins coming by knockout. The 35-year-old Albanian vowed to ruin Joshua's plans, adding: “Anthony Joshua is a great fighter, but he made a terrible miscalculation in picking me as his opponent. This is the kind of fight that changes everything in my life and his. I know they have big plans ahead after this fight. I know they are overlooking me. I’m happy about that. I will derail their plans and shock the world this July in Saudi Arabia.”
