Joshua Prenga knockout keeps Fury fight in play after two knockdowns
Anthony Joshua was dropped twice before stopping Kristian Prenga in round two, keeping a claimed Tyson Fury fight alive.
By James Whitfield · Staff Writer
3 min read
Anthony Joshua survived two first-round knockdowns and stopped Kristian Prenga in the second round in Saudi Arabia, a Joshua Prenga knockout that kept his proposed fight with Tyson Fury on course. Al Jazeera and The Associated Press reported that the non-title heavyweight bout took place Saturday at the Jeddah Superdome.
The win mattered beyond the result because Joshua’s manager, Eddie Hearn, has said Joshua and Fury have signed to meet later this year if both men came through their warm-up fights. Fury had already done his part Friday in Pattaya, Thailand, where he forced 46-year-old Mariusz Wach to retire in the seventh round, according to Al Jazeera.
How did Anthony Joshua beat Kristian Prenga?
Prenga hurt Joshua almost immediately, dropping the former two-time world champion with an uppercut inside the first 30 seconds, Al Jazeera and AP reported. Joshua got up, but Prenga put him down again before the end of the opening round.
Joshua reached the bell and changed the fight in the second. He attacked Prenga with a burst of punches and ended the bout with a right hook that sent the Albanian fighter through the lower ropes, according to the report.
Oleksandr Usyk, described by Al Jazeera as the heavyweight king, watched from ringside. Television cameras caught Usyk’s reaction as Joshua completed the turnaround.
What does the win mean for Joshua vs Fury?
The result preserved the path to an all-British heavyweight fight between Joshua and Fury. Hearn has said the deal depends on both fighters winning their bouts this weekend, and Joshua nearly failed to clear that condition before rallying.
After the fight, Joshua told the crowd he hoped fans would get “a lovely treat” in a meeting with Fury. The two British heavyweights have long been linked to a fight but have not met in the ring.
Fury’s bout came after his return from retirement this year, Al Jazeera reported. His win over Wach gave Joshua the stage to complete the other half of the claimed agreement.
Joshua returned after a fatal car crash
The Jeddah fight was Joshua’s first since a December car crash in Nigeria, according to Al Jazeera and AP. The report said Joshua was injured in the crash and that two of his close friends, Sina Ghami and Latif “Latz” Ayodele, were killed.
Joshua referred to both men after the fight while discussing the punch that ended the bout. “It’s more than punch power,” Joshua said. “That was spirit. That was Latz and Sina. That was the family.”
He also credited Prenga for testing him. “He gave me a good test, but this is what champions do: we rise,” Joshua said, according to Al Jazeera and AP.
Prenga entered the matchup with a 20-1 record and 20 knockouts, according to the report. Joshua improved his professional record to 30-4 with 27 knockouts.
This story draws on original reporting from Al Jazeera.