Anthony Joshua needed just one big moment to keep his career trajectory safe, knocking out Kristian Prenga in brutal fashion in round two after being dropped twice himself in round one. The dramatic reversal in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia keeps his highly anticipated superfight with Tyson Fury firmly on track.
Prenga who is an unheralded Albanian boxer with a 20-1 knockout record, stunned the arena by dropping Joshua just 19 seconds into the fight with a sharp right uppercut. Joshua survived a second knockdown before the bell, looking visibly shaken heading into the second round.
Joshua restored to order instantly, settling his jab and landing a decisive right hand that ended the fight in Round 2. Promoter Eddie Hearn revealed afterward that Joshua had been carrying immense personal grief following a tragic car accident that killed two of his close friends, saying “boxing helped him get through it.”
Joshua’s win now clears the path for his long-awaited showdown with Fury, who secured his own win in Thailand a day earlier.
