Anthony Joshua survives early knockdown, stops Kristian Prenga in second round in Jeddah
Former heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua recovered from a first-round knockdown to knock out Albanian Kristian Prenga in the second round of their bout in Jeddah, keeping alive a planned clash with Tyson Fury.
The fight
On the night of 25 July in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, Anthony Joshua stepped through the ropes as a heavy favourite. The venue had been reported earlier as Riyadh, but the card landed in the Red Sea port city. Within the first 15 seconds, Kristian Prenga landed a right hand to Joshua's chin, sending the Briton to the canvas. Joshua got to his feet, but his legs were unsteady and his eyes glazed. Prenga continued to press with heavy rights, forcing Joshua to clinch repeatedly. At one stage Joshua's glove touched the mat again, though the referee did not count it as a second knockdown. Joshua survived the round, reaching the bell on wobbly legs.
Recovery and finish
A minute's rest was enough for the 36-year-old to reset. In round two, Joshua came out with purpose. He began to measure Prenga with a stiff jab and then connected with a sharp left-right combination. Prenga was driven toward a neutral corner, where Joshua unleashed another flurry. The Albanian went down hard and, despite trying to rise, was counted out.
- Joshua knocked down by right hand from Prenga
- Joshua survives round, recovers in corner
- Joshua drops Prenga with combination, referee counts out Prenga
What it means for Joshua
Joshua improved his record to 30 wins and 4 defeats. The fight was his first since a knockout victory over Jake Paul in December 2025, a bout that drew criticism but ended inside the distance. The early scare against Prenga, however, raised fresh questions about Joshua's chin and defensive awareness. His composure and power were enough to reverse a dire situation, but the opening round exposed vulnerabilities that will concern his camp ahead of any meeting with Tyson Fury.
Prenga's streak
Kristian Prenga arrived with a record of 20 wins, all by knockout, and a single loss from 2017. His 16-fight winning streak spanned more than nine years, and he had never been stopped. The 35-year-old Albanian was stepping up to his first world-class opponent, and for three minutes he looked capable of a massive upset. Ultimately, Joshua's edge in class prevailed.
The road to Fury
The entire card was built around Joshua's ambition to finally face Tyson Fury. A day earlier, on Friday, Fury had taken care of business in Thailand, stopping Poland's Mariusz Wach. With both men winning inside the distance, the path to a unification or a lucrative superfight remains open. Promoters have talked about staging the fight later in 2026, and Joshua's performance, while uneven, did not derail those plans.
