Joshua comes back twice to knock out Prenga and set up Fury showdown - Al Jazeera

What the report says

Al Jazeera, citing its staff report and The Associated Press, reported that Anthony Joshua overcame a dangerous opening round to stop Albania’s Kristian Prenga in the second round of a non-title heavyweight bout at the Jeddah Superdome in Saudi Arabia. The fight took place Saturday, with the report published on July 26, 2026. Joshua, a former two-time world champion, was knocked down twice in the first round, including inside the first 30 seconds, before recovering to end the contest with a right hook that sent Prenga through the lower ropes.

The result preserved plans for a potential all-British meeting between Joshua and Tyson Fury, a fight long discussed but not yet staged. According to Al Jazeera, Joshua’s manager Eddie Hearn has said Joshua and Fury signed a contract to fight later in the year, dependent on both winning their weekend tune-up bouts. Fury had already cleared his assignment, stopping 46-year-old Mariusz Wach in the seventh round in Pattaya, Thailand, on Friday after returning from retirement.

The bout was also Joshua’s first since a December car crash in Nigeria in which, according to the report, two of his close friends, Sina Ghami and Latif “Latz” Ayodele, were killed and Joshua was injured. After the fight, Joshua acknowledged them while reflecting on the emotional weight of his comeback. The win moved Joshua’s professional record to 30-4 with 27 knockouts, while Prenga entered the contest at 20-1 with all 20 wins by knockout, underlining the risk Joshua faced before rallying.