ANTHONY Joshua produced a remarkable comeback to defeat Kristian Prenga by knockout, stopping the heavyweight challenger after recovering from two early knockdowns in a thrilling contest.
News Point Nigeria Sport reports that Joshua endured a nightmare start as Prenga came out aggressively, catching the former world heavyweight champion with powerful punches in the opening round.
The British boxer was knocked down twice, leaving fans stunned as Prenga appeared on course to pull off one of the biggest upsets of Joshua’s career.
However, Joshua quickly regained his composure and demonstrated the experience that has made him one of boxing’s biggest stars, responding with relentless pressure, sharp combinations and powerful punches.
The former heavyweight champion completed the dramatic turnaround in the second round, unleashing a devastating right hand before delivering the decisive punch that sent Albanian challenger Prenga crashing to the canvas, forcing the referee to stop the contest.
An emotional Joshua later revealed that the victory meant far more than simply winning another fight, describing it as a triumph forged during one of the most difficult periods of his life.
“It’s more than punch power. That was spirit, that was Latz, that was Sina, that was the family. It hurts to even talk about it. It has been tough,” the 36-year-old said.
Visibly emotional, Joshua briefly stepped away from the microphone before returning to add: “It’s my brother. I don’t want to talk about it.”
Before the fight, there had been widespread speculation that fellow British heavyweight Tyson Fury might make a surprise appearance despite publicly insisting he would not attend the event.
However, Fury, renowned for his psychological mind games, stayed true to his word and was nowhere to be seen, less than 24 hours after recording his own warm-up victory over Mariusz Wach in Thailand.
Joshua also addressed the long-anticipated showdown with Fury, expressing admiration for his rival’s achievements while making it clear he was ready for the contest.
“I respect everything he has done and everything that he has achieved, but as a fighting person, we’re here now. I hope the fans will be in for a lovely treat,” Joshua said.
Although contracts for the blockbuster all-British heavyweight clash have already been signed, the venue and date for the fight—more than a decade in the making—have yet to be announced.
For now, however, the spotlight belonged to Joshua, whose resilience, determination and fighting spirit transformed a disastrous opening round into a memorable knockout victory forged through adversity during one of the toughest chapters of his life.