Anthony Joshua survives an early knockdown and defeats Kristian Prenga by knockout in the second round. Now the mega-fight against Tyson Fury is drawing closer.
Anthony Joshua made a spectacular comeback. The Brit defeated Kristian Prenga in his “warm-up fight” ahead of the mega-bout against Tyson Fury scheduled for the end of the year. But “AJ” found himself on the canvas himself on Saturday night in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
Joshua (30-4, 27 KOs) recovered from the early shock and stopped the underdog from Albania in the second round. Despite the early victory, however, the British fan favorite fell well short of the level expected of a future heavyweight world champion.
Prenga (20-2, 20 KOs) delivered a shock in the very first seconds, casting doubt on Joshua’s chances in the lucrative bout against Tyson Fury. With an uppercut in close quarters, he sent AJ to the canvas after just about 20 seconds. The former two-time heavyweight world champion got back to his feet quickly, but looked visibly flustered.
Gong saved the former champion
Joshua, who had been sidelined for more than half a year following a dramatic car accident, found himself in serious trouble for much of the first round. Moments later, Prenga landed another hard right hand, but AJ skillfully clinched and weathered the crisis. About half a minute before the end of the round, he was forced to take another count. After an explosive opening round, Joshua’s illustrious career seemed on the verge of collapse, until the bell saved him.
At the start of the second round, the 36-year-old Brit looked clearly refreshed and found his way back into the fight with long, straight right hands against the now-passive Prenga. With less than 30 seconds left in the round, Joshua unleashed a hard combination of punches and sent Prenga spectacularly to the canvas. Since the Albanian was having trouble getting back to his feet, the referee stopped the fight.
With that, Anthony Joshua is now setting his sights on the long-awaited heavyweight showdown against Tyson Fury.