Anthony Joshua Survives Two Knockdowns to Flatten Prenga, Books Fury Fight

Anthony Joshua came within a whisker of the worst night of his career in Jeddah on Saturday, hitting the canvas twice in the opening round before ripping Kristian Prenga off his feet in the second. The finish landed at 2:43 of Round 2, and it saved a night — and a career plan — that looked to be unraveling in real time.

It shouldn't have been close. Joshua walked in at 29-4 (26 KO), fresh off a sixth-round stoppage of Jake Paul, and instead got dumped by a Prenga uppercut inside the first three minutes. Then he got dropped again by a right hand. Joshua looked unsteady on his feet, possibly nursing a leg issue, and the biggest heavyweight fight in years suddenly hung on whether he could survive to the bell.

The Comeback

He did. Joshua came out for the second round throwing in bunches, and a fading Prenga had nothing left to answer with. AJ backed him into the corner, teed off, and finished with a right hand so heavy the Albanian fell through the bottom rope. The referee gave him a moment to recover, then waved it off. Joshua, who'd been smiling at his opponent between rounds, celebrated a comeback most people watching didn't think was coming.

Asked about that first round, Joshua credited something bigger than himself — he said it couldn't have been him alone, that there was a higher power involved. Melodramatic? Sure. But when you've been floored twice by a man you were supposed to blow out, you take the escape however it comes.

Next Stop: Fury

Then the real business. Joshua immediately turned to Tyson Fury, promising to rip his heart out and billing himself as the most vicious champion the sport has seen. Promoter Eddie Hearn confirmed the long-delayed all-British showdown is already signed for later in 2026, with the venue the only major detail still outstanding.

Fury, ranked #3 at heavyweight with a 36-2-1 (25 KO) record, is coming off a seventh-round retirement stoppage of Mariusz Wach. The fight has been teased and torpedoed more times than anyone cares to count. Saturday nearly killed it again in the first round. Instead, Joshua stumbled to the finish line, and the biggest fight British boxing can make is finally, apparently, on the books.