Anthony Joshua vs Kristian Prenga Is Locked In For July 25
Right then — the wait is nearly over. Anthony Joshua vs Kristian Prenga is confirmed for Saturday, July 25 in Saudi Arabia, and it marks the moment AJ finally steps back through the ropes on his road to the fight the whole sport is waiting for. Make no mistake, this is a comeback with a very specific destination stamped on it, and everyone knows what that destination is called.
Let's not beat around the bush: Joshua is not being sent in here to be tested. He is being sent in here to look sharp, bank a round or two if he needs them, and get out clean. But someone forgot to tell Kristian Prenga, because the big Albanian has turned up to fight week talking like a man who fancies causing the upset of the year.
Kristian Prenga Is Promising A Knockout
Prenga has come out swinging in the build-up, predicting he'll knock Anthony Joshua out and refusing to play the role of the respectful away fighter. It's brilliant theatre, and you have to admire the bottle. The 35-year-old carries a perfect knockout ratio on his record, turned professional back in 2016, and the only blemish on his ledger came on points early in his career. He is not here to make up the numbers, or at least he's not saying so.
Here's the reality check, though. Talking about knocking out Anthony Joshua and actually landing on a two-time unified heavyweight champion are two very different things. Prenga has not shared a ring with anyone remotely on Joshua's level. Step-up nights have a habit of exposing exactly that, and this is the mother of all step-ups.
What Anthony Joshua vs Kristian Prenga Really Means
The context is everything. Joshua, a 2012 Olympic gold medallist and one of the biggest draws the heavyweight division has ever produced, is 28-4 with 25 knockouts and looked reborn in his headline-grabbing win over Jake Paul last winter. This is not a man rebuilding from scratch — this is a man lining up his shot. Anthony Joshua vs Kristian Prenga is the tune-up before the tune-up ends and the real business begins.
And the real business is Tyson Fury. We've already covered how that all-British super-fight got over the line, and this July date is the final box AJ needs to tick before it. Prenga is the obstacle in the way; Fury is the prize on the other side. If you know, you know — every punch Joshua throws on July 25 is really aimed at the Gypsy King.
My Prediction
I'm not sitting on the fence. Prenga's confidence is proper and I'd never mock a man for backing himself, but levels are levels. Anthony Joshua vs Kristian Prenga ends inside the distance, and I don't see it going past the middle rounds. Joshua lands the right hand early, Prenga's chin gets its first real examination at world level, and AJ gets the statement stoppage he needs before turning his full attention to Fury. Joshua by KO, rounds three to five. For the wider picture, see our deeper look at Joshua's road to Fury.