Joshua stops Prenga in second round after two knockdowns in Jeddah bout
Joshua’s Return to the Ring
Anthony Joshua returned to the ring in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, facing Kristian Prenga in a bout that saw him secure a second-round stoppage victory. The fight was Joshua’s first since being involved in a car crash in Nigeria that resulted in the deaths of two close friends, Sina Ghami and Latif ‘Latz’ Ayodele. Joshua’s pre-ring walk package included a tribute to his late friends, and he appeared pensive as he made his entrance.
Joshua, a two-time world champion and Olympic gold medallist, entered the fight with a record of 29 wins, 26 by stoppage, and four losses. Prenga, on the other hand, boasted an impressive record of 20 victories, all by stoppage, with only one defeat. However, Prenga, at 35 years old, had not faced an opponent of Joshua’s caliber.
The fight was widely seen as a precursor to a potential showdown between Joshua and Tyson Fury, with contracts for a blockbuster bout reportedly signed and expected to take place later this year. Fury had recently dispatched Mariusz Wach in Thailand, setting the stage for Joshua’s own warm-up fight.
The Fight Unfolds
The atmosphere in the arena was charged, with Oleksandr Usyk, Joshua’s former rival and now part of his training team, present in the crowd. The national anthems of Saudi Arabia, Albania, and Britain were played before the first bell. Michael Buffer introduced Kristian “KP” Prenga, who marched into the ring with a stoic demeanor, while Joshua prowled in camouflage trunks.
The fight itself was described as “mayhem.” In the first round, Joshua found himself on wobbly legs after Prenga landed a heavy right hand, stunning him within the first 20 seconds. Joshua was unsteady and bundled over, though it was not ruled a knockdown. Commentator Barry Jones noted Prenga’s lack of experience for not pressing his advantage after his strong first round.
Despite the early scare, Joshua demonstrated his resilience. In the second round, he caught Prenga with a left jab that pushed him towards the ropes, followed by a right hand that severely hurt his opponent. Joshua then landed brutal hooks with Prenga against the ropes, leading to Prenga collapsing in the corner. The referee’s count was not beaten, resulting in a stoppage victory for Joshua.
Following the fight, Joshua reflected on his recovery from the car accident, expressing the pain of discussing it. He also made a statement directed at Tyson Fury, asking if Fury was in the room and delivering a riff on Mike Tyson’s famous rant, though with a smile and a wink. Usyk was seen shaking his head in disbelief in the crowd.
Pundit Predictions and Undercard Action
Ahead of the main event, many boxing figures offered their predictions for the Joshua vs. Prenga fight. All predictions favored a Joshua victory, mostly by stoppage. Natasha Jonas, a former two-weight world champion, predicted a late stoppage for Joshua, advising caution in the early rounds due to Prenga’s history of early stoppages. Carl Frampton, also a former two-weight world champion, anticipated the fight would be over by round three or four.
Josh Kelly, IBF light-middleweight world champion, praised Joshua’s mental resilience. Adam Smith, a DAZN commentator, expected Joshua to deal with Prenga emphatically within the first four rounds, noting Prenga had not fought at Joshua’s level. Trainer Adam Booth highlighted Prenga’s background as an unbeaten kickboxer but predicted a clean win for Joshua, expecting him to be quicker and establish a quick jab.
Barry Jones, a former super-featherweight world champion, believed any version of Joshua would be too much for Prenga, predicting a stoppage in three or four rounds. Tony Bellew, a former cruiserweight world champion, was more emphatic, stating, “You will not see a third round. Joshua will win by a brutal, nasty and vicious knockout.” Darren Barker, a former middleweight world champion, predicted a brutal early win, suggesting it would not go past three rounds. Trainer Dave Coldwell suggested the fight would last as long as Joshua wanted it to, possibly four or five rounds, while Ade Oladipo, a DAZN presenter, predicted a knockout between rounds three and five. Former lightweight world champion Anthony Crolla also expected a knockout in three rounds.
The undercard featured several notable bouts. Hamzah Sheeraz defended his WBO super-middleweight crown against Simon Zachenhuber. Sheeraz secured a narrow victory on the judges’ scorecards, with one judge scoring it 114-114 and the other two favoring Sheeraz by two and four rounds, respectively. Sheeraz confirmed his right hand was fine after the fight, despite speculation during the bout that he might have injured it. Earlier, Josh Kelly defended his IBF 154lb title with a narrow 12-round decision against Caoimhín Agyarko, with scores of 114-113 and 115-112 (twice).
Radio commentary for the main event began at approximately 20:30 BST, with live text commentary starting at 19:30.
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Source: bbc.com
