AFCON 2025
Anthony Joshua overcame a dramatic first-round scare to stop Kristian Prenga in the second round and keep his long-awaited heavyweight showdown with Tyson Fury firmly on course.
Fighting in Jeddah on Saturday night, the British-Nigerian heavyweight was floored twice inside the opening round, with the first knockdown coming less than 20 seconds into the contest after Prenga landed a crushing uppercut.
The Albanian, who entered the fight with all 20 of his previous victories coming by knockout, looked on the verge of producing one of boxing’s biggest upsets. However, Joshua responded in emphatic fashion, regaining control before unleashing a series of powerful right hands that stopped Prenga in the second round.
The victory improves Joshua’s professional record to 30 wins from 34 fights and marks his second consecutive victory following his win over Jake Paul last year.
An emotional Joshua dedicated the victory to his late friends and team members, Sina Ghami and Latif “Latz” Ayodele, who died in the car accident he survived in December.
“It’s more than punch power. That was spirit, that was Latz, that was Sina, that was the families. It hurts to even talk about it. It has been tough. It’s my brothers,” Joshua said after the fight.
Joshua’s comeback victory also preserves plans for a blockbuster clash against Tyson Fury later this year. Fury had secured his own stoppage win over Polish veteran Mariusz Wach in Thailand on Friday, with both fighters reportedly having signed contracts for a November showdown. However, the venue for the highly anticipated all-British heavyweight clash is yet to be confirmed.
Joshua’s resilience against Prenga ensured that one of boxing’s most anticipated fights remains on track after what briefly looked like a night that could have derailed his path to Fury.
