Anthony Joshua recovered from two first-round knockdowns to stop Kristian Prenga in the second round, setting up a showdown with Tyson Fury.
Joshua, who was returning to the ring after seven months of inactivity, appeared on the brink of defeat in the opening round. The Albanian heavyweight knocked him down just 20 seconds into the contest with an uppercut, then floored him again later in the round, leaving fans fearing the long-awaited fight with Fury was at risk.
The second round played out very differently. Joshua unleashed a series of heavy blows that forced Prenga back to the ropes before delivering the knockout blow.
Joshua's turnaround, coming 24 hours after Fury beat Mariusz Wach, cleared the path for the two British heavyweights to finally meet in one of the most lucrative fights in boxing.
Jordan questions the swing between rounds
talkSPORT presenter Simon Jordan questioned the dramatic difference between the two rounds. "Not having that… #anthonyjoshua fight," Jordan posted. "Dropped twice and sets the tempo, how's that? … Prenga totally different in 2nd. Something not quite right, all designed to rinse maximum amount of money…"
Punch statistics showed the scale of the shift. Joshua landed just five of his 22 attempted punches in the first round, while Prenga connected with 15 of his 32. In the second, Joshua landed 13 of 46 punches thrown, while Prenga landed only three of 17.
Despite Jordan's comments, Joshua insisted that "champions rise" when asked about the turnaround afterwards. "He [Prenga] gave me a good test but this is what champions do, we rise," Joshua said. "We get knocked down and stand up. That is life, that is life's motto. I want to give a massive thank you to Prenga and his team for putting up a good fight. It means a lot to them and it means a lot to me and that is why you see what you see in the ring. I want to give thanks to God. It was more than me in that situation, it can't just be me in them type of situations. There is a higher power that is calling. He's a strong guy and I think Eddie [Hearn] wants to sign him now! He is going to do well and he has a bright future. Maybe with a bit more experience, he will be up there with the rest of us. He is strong and durable."
Joshua calls out Fury in the ring
With contracts for the Fury fight already signed, Joshua addressed his rival directly in the ring afterwards. "Have we got Tyson Fury in the room? Is he here or not? I am the meanest, most vicious champion. Nobody can stop me. He is no Oleksandr [Usyk]," Joshua said. "All jokes aside, there are two sides. One is the fighter and the other is respect. I respect everything he has done and everything that he has achieved, but as a fighting person, we're here now. I hope the fans will be in for a lovely treat."
Tribute to friends killed in car crash
Joshua fought in honour of his close friends Sina Ghami and Latif "Latz" Ayodele, who died in December when the car they were travelling in struck a truck on a road near Lagos. The pair had been on holiday with Joshua after he beat Jake Paul in Miami.
Joshua, who was also in the vehicle, was taken to hospital before being discharged and flying home to the UK, where he attended the funerals of Ghami, his strength and conditioning coach, and Ayodele, one of his trainers.
He had their names printed on his military camouflage trunks and walked to the ring in a military-style jacket bearing a medal bar showing the IBF, IBO, WBA and WBO titles he has previously held, alongside pennants carrying Ghami and Ayodele's names. The words "Latz x Sina, My Brother's Keeper, MBK" were printed on the canvas in his corner. Asked afterwards how he had been coping, Joshua said, "It's been tough," before growing emotional. "That's my brothers. I don't want to talk about that."
Matchroom Boxing chief Eddie Hearn, speaking on DAZN, admitted he feared Joshua had returned to the ring too soon after watching him struggle in the first round. "Nobody can imagine what he's been through in that last seven months. In that first round, I thought we'd come back too soon," Hearn said. "Boxing got him through. To even be in the ring tonight is astonishing. You don't know what he's been through. He had to go to the depths one more time to get up, like he has done the last seven months."
In February, Joshua had the names of Ghami and Ayodele tattooed on his arm.
