Anthony Joshua made a dramatic return to the ring on Sunday, overcoming two early knockdowns before stopping Kristian Prenga in the second round. The victory marked a successful comeback for the former two-time heavyweight champion and moved him closer to a highly anticipated all-British clash with Tyson Fury.
The bout, held at the Jeddah Superdome, was Joshua’s first fight since a tragic car accident in Nigeria last December claimed the lives of two of his close friends, Sina Ghami and Latif Ayodele. The emotional weight of the past several months was evident after the fight, as Joshua struggled to hold back tears while reflecting on his journey back to competition.
The 36-year-old credited his comeback performance to something deeper than his physical ability, saying the strength he showed came from the people he had lost.
“That was spirit, that was Latz, that was Sina. That was family,” Joshua said.
The accident came just over a week after Joshua’s controversial victory over YouTuber-turned-boxer Jake Paul in a Netflix-backed event in December.
Before facing Prenga, Joshua’s last official boxing appearance ended in disappointment when he suffered a fifth-round knockout defeat against IBF heavyweight champion Daniel Dubois at Wembley Stadium in September 2024.
With the win over Prenga, Joshua improved his professional record to 30 victories and four defeats, with 27 of those wins coming by knockout. However, the fight was far from straightforward.
Prenga, an aggressive Albanian heavyweight known for his power, entered the contest with 20 stoppage victories from his previous 21 wins. He immediately tested Joshua, dropping him with a sharp right uppercut just 20 seconds into the opening round.
The pressure continued as Prenga caught Joshua again later in the first round, sending him to the canvas for a second time and leaving the former champion in serious trouble.
But Joshua showed the resilience that has defined his career. He regained control in the second round, using his jab to push Prenga back while absorbing more powerful shots from his opponent. Once he found his rhythm, Joshua began landing his own combinations.
A devastating sequence of punches, finished with a powerful right hand, sent Prenga crashing through the ropes at the 2:43 mark of the second round, forcing the referee to stop the contest.
The victory appears to have cleared the path for Joshua’s long-awaited showdown with Tyson Fury, with the two British heavyweight stars expected to meet in November. The location for the potential “Battle of Britain” has yet to be confirmed.
Fury also took a step toward the blockbuster meeting by securing his own victory, defeating Mariusz Wach in Pattaya, Thailand, on Friday. The former two-time heavyweight champion dominated the 46-year-old veteran before Wach’s corner stopped the contest in the seventh round.
The win marked Fury’s second victory of the year following a 16-month break from boxing, keeping momentum alive for what could become one of the biggest heavyweight fights in British boxing history.
