Anthony Joshua weighs in at 251lbs ahead of Kristian Prenga fight, with Tyson Fury bout at stake

Weigh-in and return

Anthony Joshua stepped on the scales at 251lbs for his comeback fight in Jeddah, more than 11lbs lighter than Albanian opponent Kristian Prenga, who weighed 261.4lbs. The weigh-in took place in Saudi Arabia on Friday, one day before the contest. Joshua last fought in December 2025, when he was weight-restricted for a bout against YouTuber Jake Paul. Days after that fight, Joshua was involved in a car crash in Nigeria that killed close friends Latif 'Latz' Ayodele and Sina Ghami.

We're feeling good. It's going down tomorrow night in Jeddah. Let's go people. Big up everyone for coming out. Tomorrow will be good.

Joshua took the DAZN microphone at the weigh-in and orchestrated cheers between British and Albanian fans, sidestepping questions about a potential meeting with Tyson Fury.

The opponent: Kristian Prenga

The 35-year-old Prenga enters the ring with a record of 20 wins, all by stoppage, and a single defeat. He has never faced an opponent of Joshua's calibre, and the fight represents a major step up in class. Joshua, 36, holds a record of 29 wins (26 inside the distance) and four losses. The former Olympic gold medallist weighed 252.5lbs for his previous contest against Daniel Dubois in September 2024, making Saturday's mark a return to a more familiar weight.

Path to Fury

Victory in Jeddah is essential for Joshua to unlock a long-discussed showdown with Tyson Fury. Fury completed his side of the bargain on Friday, stopping Polish veteran Mariusz Wach in Pattaya, Thailand. Contracts for the Joshua-Fury fight have been signed, and the bout is expected to take place later in 2026. Should Joshua lose to Prenga, the plans would collapse.

Promoter Eddie Hearn said Prenga would not be a straightforward hurdle.

The work's done. It's not going to be easy because this isn't a guy with a bundle of defeats and coming here for a payday. He's got the whole country behind him by the sound of things as well.

Venue dispute for Joshua-Fury

Even before Saturday's bout, a disagreement has surfaced over where Joshua-Fury would be held. Hearn told The Athletic that Saudi powerbroker Turki Al-Sheikh, WWE president Nick Khan and streaming service Netflix favour Madison Square Garden in New York. The group has received what Hearn called a "decent offer" from the venue and would prefer a start time of 10pm US Eastern Time (3am in the UK) to maximise the American audience.

Hearn insisted that the contract Joshua signed stipulates the fight must take place in the UK, with London the preferred city. Moving the event to the US against the terms of the contract would be a "material breach", he said. Tax implications for both fighters would also differ significantly if the bout is held abroad. Hearn indicated that any change would require a new negotiation, adding that "quite a few bits in the contract" have not been adhered to, though he stopped short of calling them material.

Fight details and broadcast

Joshua versus Prenga will be shown live on DAZN pay-per-view in Ireland and the UK. The main event ring walks are expected at approximately 11pm Irish time (23:00 BST). BBC Radio 5 Live will carry radio commentary from 20:30 BST, with live text coverage beginning at 19:30 on the BBC Sport website and app. The undercard includes Hamzah Sheeraz against Simon Zachenhuber for the WBO world super middleweight title, and Josh Kelly versus Caoimhin Agyarko for the IBF world super welterweight belt.