Kristian Prenga Answers Fix Talk After Wild Joshua Scare in Jeddah

Kristian Prenga was 20 seconds away from becoming the most talked-about heavyweight on the planet. The previously unknown Albanian caught Anthony Joshua cold with an uppercut in Jeddah, put the two-time unified champion down, then dropped him again moments later. For the length of one round, a fight nobody expected to matter threatened to blow up the entire division.

Then round two happened. Prenga, 35, inexplicably switched to the back foot and handed Joshua the center of the ring. AJ — now 29-4 (26 KO) and coming off a sixth-round stoppage of Jake Paul — found his footing, then ended things with a three-punch combination. The turnaround was so stark that people started asking whether the whole thing was on the level.

The Fix Accusation

TalkSPORT's Simon Jordan led the charge on social media, arguing that a man who'd dropped Joshua twice and set the tempo doesn't suddenly become a different fighter in the second round. Something, in his words, wasn't quite right — and he framed it as a setup designed to squeeze maximum money out of the situation.

Prenga wasn't having it. He called the suggestion completely false and irresponsible, insisting that both he and Joshua have integrity and would never stoop to something so stupid. His explanation for the collapse is far more mundane: he was gassed. He said he chose to start round two slowly to catch his breath and replenish his energy, and that the plan backfired badly, letting Joshua flip control of the fight.

What It Means for Fury

For what it's worth, Jordan has since walked his stance back, saying conversations with people who know the sport changed his mind. And that matters, because a legitimate Prenga knockdown scare doesn't derail the money fight — a proven fix would have.

So the machine keeps moving. Joshua is now expected to face Tyson Fury in November at Madison Square Garden, with an official announcement said to be close. Fury sits at 36-2-1 (25 KO) and is ranked #3 at heavyweight, last seen forcing a seventh-round retirement out of Mariusz Wach. Prenga, meanwhile, stays busy under Eddie Hearn's Matchroom banner — a man who spent one round proving he belongs and one round proving why the big names still get the big fights.