Joshua survives early knockdowns ahead of Fury fight

Anthony Joshua survives two first-round knockdowns before brutally stopping Kristian Prenga in the second round.

Kristian Prenga’s return to the ring after a one-year hiatus nearly went awry. Kristian Prenga, who was supposed to be a warm-up opponent, came out swinging right from the first round and sent Anthony Joshua to the canvas twice in that very first round. However, Anthony Joshua recovered from this shock and really got going in the second round, ultimately knocking out Kristian Prenga in brutal fashion. With this victory, the superfight between Anthony Joshua and Tyson Fury remains a possibility.

Even before the fight, however, there were many questions about what kind of shape Anthony Joshua would be in for his comeback. His last real boxing match was in 2024 against Daniel Dubois, where he became careless and was knocked out in the fifth round. After that, he did have a lucrative exhibition match against Jake Paul, in which he broke Paul’s jaw in the sixth round, but that fight didn’t come as a surprise.

It’s worth noting that Anthony Joshua had already announced before the fight that it would be a tough one. He clearly emphasized that he didn’t view Kristian Prenga as a mere warm-up opponent, but rather as a serious test. After the fight, however, he spoke in more detail about the challenges he faced.

"I'm glad we can look forward to the future. It was a tough moment in there early in the fight. But I learned a valuable lesson from that moment, you know? Start faster. Come out. F--k this boxing and come out and be ready. Like, you can do it in 20 seconds. If Prenga had a bit more luck on his side, he could have had me out there”

he said. He also explained that he wasn't worried after his setbacks.

"I was calm. I was calm, like I said, I’m in for a fight. Normally, things start heating up [round] four, five, six, and then so on. But things are heating up from the first thirty seconds. So I said, ‘I’m in for a good night here.’ But I was ready for it, though. Yeah. Mentally and physically”

Anthony Joshua also talked about how the break did him good. He emphasized that he’d gotten his life in order precisely for moments like these. He’s certain that if he hadn’t put his heart and soul into boxing, he would have come out of those knockdowns in much worse shape. After those, he actually started smiling, which made him feel good. So he really seems to be there, both physically and mentally.

And that’s also very important. Since Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua have both passed their tests, nothing stands in the way of the fight in principle. However, there are still hardly any details about the fight, as they’ve always been conveniently left out. What’s clear, though, is that for both of them, it’s now or never. There may never be another chance like this to face each other.

I also thought Anthony Joshua's resilience was impressive. When you're down on the canvas twice in the first round, it's usually hard to bounce back. The fact that he then knocked out Kristian Prenga right away in the next round says a lot. I hope Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua are now ready to organize the mega-fight.