British heavyweight Anthony Joshua recovered from two first round knockdowns to stop Albania's Kristian Prenga in the second round in Jeddah on Saturday night. The former two-time world champion weathered a chaotic opening round before flattening Prenga with a combination at 2:43 of round two at the Jeddah Superdome.
The victory brought a dramatic end to a bout that threatened to derail Joshua's return before it truly began. When Joshua's hand was raised, the result felt secondary as the emotional weight of recent months surfaced. Joshua broke down during his post-fight interview when crediting his friends for getting him through the opening round, before saying: "I don't want to talk about it anymore."
The post-fight tears marked the first time Joshua publicly released the grief he had suppressed since December, when his strength coach Latif 'Latz' Ayodele and personal trainer Sina Ghami died in a car crash in Nigeria. Joshua had admitted before the fight that he spent months hiding his pain because he did not want to make their deaths about himself while their families mourned.
Joshua went from a euphoric high to an emotional low within minutes of the victory. He wore a jacket featuring a medal bar with 'Sina' and 'Latz' pennants into the ring, where both men were also embodied on the canvas. Following the fight, Joshua pledged lifelong financial support to the families of both men and vowed to pursue the boxing dreams they had shared together.
First round trouble in Jeddah
Prenga entered the contest with 20 knockouts from 20 wins and just one loss. The 35-year-old Albanian proved his punch power was genuine during a chaotic opening round. Prenga dominated the first three minutes, dropping Joshua twice and wrestling him to the canvas.
Joshua returned to his corner after the first round and received a stern dressing down from his coaching staff. Although still showing defensive vulnerabilities that have affected his career, Joshua emerged for the second round with renewed purpose and resilience. He turned the contest around with a swift stoppage combination, leaving Prenga sprawled on his back.
Rebuilding after injury and loss
The physical and mental journey back to the ring was the hardest of Joshua's career. For months after the crash in Nigeria, Joshua lived with constant physical pain. Simply getting out of bed was a struggle during his initial recovery.
Joshua rebuilt his physical conditioning from scratch. He spent two months gently pedalling on a stationary bike before progressing to balance work on a stability ball. Neither Joshua nor promoter Eddie Hearn liked calling the fight a comeback, noting that seven months out of the ring is normal for heavyweights, but returning after losing two close friends proved his biggest challenge.
Negotiating the Tyson Fury showdown
Prenga was viewed as a tune-up fight to remove ring rust, rebuild momentum, and serve as a bridge to a larger heavyweight clash against Tyson Fury later this year. Fury had fought 24 hours earlier in Thailand, stopping Mariusz Wach in seven rounds after the veteran Pole retired on his stool during an untelevised bout.
Fury had stated all week that he would not travel to Saudi Arabia for Joshua's fight, and he stayed away despite speculation that he might make a late appearance in Jeddah. His absence prevented the two British heavyweights from standing face to face in the ring following their respective weekend victories.
Caution remains around the potential mega-fight due to past history in the division. A planned bout between Joshua and Deontay Wilder collapsed in December 2023 after Wilder suffered a surprise loss to Joseph Parker on the same night Joshua won his own fight.
Venue negotiations also remain a key point of disagreement for the Fury fight. Contracts currently specify that any bout between Joshua and Fury must take place in the United Kingdom on British soil, according to Joshua and Hearn. However, Turki Alalshikh and streaming platform Netflix favour hosting the event at Madison Square Garden in New York, meaning contracts will need to be renegotiated during planned talks over the coming days.