Anthony Joshua returned to the ring with a dramatic victory over Kristian Prenga in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, surviving two knockdowns before stopping the Albanian heavyweight in the second round.
The fight marked Joshua’s first professional appearance since surviving a car crash in Nigeria in December that killed his close friends Sina Ghami and Latif “Latz” Ayodele.
Joshua endured a difficult opening round after Prenga dropped him just 20 seconds into the contest with a powerful uppercut.
Prenga knocked him down again later in the same round, raising fears that Joshua could suffer one of the biggest defeats of his career and potentially derail plans for a long-awaited fight with Tyson Fury.
But the former heavyweight champion recovered quickly.
In the second round, Joshua began finding his range and landed a series of right hands before sending Prenga to the canvas and forcing the referee to stop the fight.
Joshua Makes an Emotional Return
The comeback carried significant emotional weight for the 36-year-old.
Joshua entered the ring with the names of Ghami and Ayodele displayed on his chest, while the canvas also carried their names alongside the words “My Brother’s Keeper”.
After the victory, Joshua became emotional while speaking about his late friends, describing them as his brothers and acknowledging how difficult the past months had been.
The win improved Joshua’s professional record to 30 victories and four defeats, with 27 wins coming by stoppage.
It was also his first fight against a recognised professional boxer since Daniel Dubois stopped him in September 2024.
Joshua’s previous appearance came against YouTuber-turned-boxer Jake Paul in December, shortly before the fatal accident in Nigeria.
Prenga Almost Pulled Off a Major Upset
Prenga entered the fight as the underdog but quickly threatened to upset Joshua.
The 35-year-old had recorded 20 knockouts from 20 professional victories before facing Joshua.
His aggressive start caught Joshua by surprise, and the two knockdowns in the first round immediately put the British fighter under pressure.
However, Prenga became more cautious in the second round, allowing Joshua to regain control.
Joshua used his experience to draw Prenga into range before landing the punches that ended the contest.
The defeat became Prenga’s second professional loss.
Tyson Fury Fight Remains in View
Attention now turns to Joshua’s proposed fight with fellow British heavyweight Tyson Fury.
Fury did not attend Joshua’s comeback bout, despite speculation that he might appear after securing his own warm-up victory over Mariusz Wach in Thailand.
Joshua said he respects Fury’s achievements and hopes boxing fans will finally get the opportunity to see them fight.
Promoter Eddie Hearn said contracts for the highly anticipated bout have already been signed, although the venue and exact date have yet to be officially confirmed.
The fight is reportedly being considered for November, with Netflix expected to stream the event.
A venue in the United States is also reportedly under consideration, although British fans continue to hope for a homecoming fight.
For Joshua, however, the night in Jeddah was about much more than setting up another major payday.
After months of grief and uncertainty, he returned to the ring, survived a disastrous opening round and found a way to win.