Anthony Joshua overcame two knockdowns from Albanian Christian Prengga to win in the second round.
Published July 26, 2026
Former two-time world champion Anthony Joshua bounced back from being knocked down twice to knock out Christian Prengga in the second round of a dramatic non-title heavyweight bout in Saudi Arabia.
Saturday’s bout in Jeddah was seen as the last step before the British boxer prepares for his long-awaited showdown with compatriot Tyson Fury.
It was also Joshua’s first return to the ring since a tragic car accident in Nigeria in December. Joshua lost two of his best friends and was injured in the accident.
Back inside the ring, Joshua was knocked down by an uppercut within 30 seconds. He beat the count, but seemed very upset.
Prenga then knocked Joshua down again, but the former heavyweight champion got back to his feet before the count ended and survived until the first round bell.
The battle was expected to end quickly, but no one expected it to be Prengha’s.
In the second round, Joshua threw a flurry of punches and finished off Prengga with a right hook that sent the Albanian under the ropes.
The turnaround shocked heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk, whose face was captured by television cameras as he watched from ringside.
This comeback leaves open the possibility of an all-British fight between Joshua and Fury.
Joshua’s manager, Eddie Hearn, claims his fighter and Fury have signed a deal for their first fight later this year, but on the condition that they have a warm-up fight this weekend.
“I hope the fans have a great time,” Joshua told the crowd after his victory over Fury.
Fury came out of retirement this year and did his part on Friday by forcing 46-year-old Polish journeyman Mariusz Wach into retirement in round seven in Pattaya, Thailand.
Joshua almost used up his part of the claimed contract before showing the fighting spirit of a champion.
Prengga brought a record of 20 wins, 1 loss, and 20 KOs into his fight with Joshua, and looked like a knockout artist by all accounts.
Fighting for the first time since surviving the car accident that killed his friends Sheena Gami and Latif “Rats” Ayodele, Joshua was quick to recognize them after improving his record to 30-4 (27 KOs).
“It’s more than punching power,” Joshua said of the knockout punch. “It was the spirit. It was the Rats and Sheena. It was the family. You know what I mean? It hurts to even talk about it.
“He (Pulenga) gave me a good test, but this is what champions do. We get up. We get knocked down and we get back up. That’s life. That’s the motto of life.”
