Prenga Drops Joshua Twice, Then Backs Him to KO Fury

Anthony Joshua needed 20 seconds to hit the floor and the better part of two rounds to climb back into his own comeback fight. On Saturday in Jeddah, Albania's Kristian Prenga put AJ down early, added a second knockdown before the opening bell rang again, and briefly looked like the man who'd torch a heavyweight superfight before it was ever signed. Then Joshua, 29-4 (26 KO), regrouped and stopped him.

The night before, in Pattaya, Tyson Fury did his own housekeeping, forcing Mariusz Wach's retirement after seven rounds. That leaves both British heavyweights through their interim assignments and clears the runway for the all-British clash the sport has been circling for years. An announcement could land as early as next week.

The Prediction

Prenga, of all people, likes Joshua to get it done against Fury. Speaking after the loss, he called AJ a legend, wished him luck, and predicted another Joshua knockout when the two finally meet. It's a generous read from a man who'd just been stopped — and a slightly strange one, given he'd had Joshua on the canvas twice in about three minutes of work.

Why the Comeback Mattered

Context sharpens the concern here. This was Joshua's first outing since a car crash in Nigeria that killed two of his close friends, Sina Ghami and Latif Ayodele. He got the win and kept the Fury plans alive, but a performance that starts with two knockdowns raises more questions than it settles. Joshua, for his part, has waved off any doubts about his chin.

The numbers frame the matchup neatly. Fury, 36-2-1 (25 KO) and ranked #3 at heavyweight, is coming off that Wach retirement job. Joshua's last outing before Jeddah was a sixth-round knockout of Jake Paul. Both men carry heavy hands and heavier mileage, and it's widely accepted neither is the fighter he was three or four years ago.

The date remains the sticking point. November has been floated as a target, but it's unclear whether either camp is still comfortable with that window after a busy weekend, and the location is reportedly unresolved. Sign it, pick a city, and we'll find out whether Prenga's crystal ball is any better than his second round.