Joshua survives 2 knockdowns, KOs Prenga in 2 — SkimNews
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- Anthony Joshua survived two knockdowns in the opening round before landing two right hands in Round 2 that dropped Prenga against the ropes, ending the fight in Saudi Arabia on Saturday.
- Kristian Prenga caught Joshua with a right hand and right uppercut in the opening seconds, sending the former two-time heavyweight champion to the canvas twice in Round 1.
- Joshua addressed Tyson Fury afterward, saying "Where is he? There's two sides to this. Fire. And respect," though Fury did not appear in the ring and no date or location for the potential bout has been announced.
- Tyson Fury beat Mariusz Wach in Thailand on Friday, keeping alive speculation about the long-awaited all-British heavyweight clash.
- Joshua's win came seven months after a car crash killed his close friends Sina Ghami and Latif "Latz" Ayodele, whose names were printed on the ring canvas; Joshua fought back tears saying, "That was spirit — that was Latz, Sina."
- Promoter Eddie Hearn said Joshua "needed boxing to get through this" and that the training camp allowed him to focus his mind while processing the grief.
Why it matters: Joshua absorbed two first-round knockdowns before stopping Prenga, exposing chin durability concerns ahead of a potential Fury bout that still lacks a date or location. The emotional context — returning seven months after losing two close friends in a car crash, with Hearn saying he 'needed boxing to get through' the grief — frames the win as a psychological milestone as much as a sporting one.
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