Joshua vs Prenga Is Officially On For July 25
Right then — the wait is over. Anthony Joshua is back, and Joshua vs Prenga is locked in for July 25 at the Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, headlining a card built around the Esports World Cup and beaming out worldwide on DAZN. After the longest, strangest layoff of his career, the two-time world champion finally has a date, a venue and an opponent in Kristian Prenga.
Make no mistake, Joshua vs Prenga matters far beyond the result. This is Joshua's first fight since a desperately difficult spell out of the ring — a period that included the tragedy of a car accident in Nigeria in December that claimed the lives of two close friends. The man has been through it. Lacing the gloves back on in Riyadh is a moment in itself, whatever happens once the bell rings.
The Usyk Connection
Here is the detail that jumped out at me. Joshua has prepared for this comeback by training alongside Oleksandr Usyk — the very man who beat him twice. Time in Spain and Ukraine with the pound-for-pound great is one way to sharpen up, and it tells you how seriously AJ is taking this reboot. If you are going to rebuild, rebuild with the best brain in the division in your corner of the gym.
Let's not beat around the bush about the opponent. Kristian Prenga is a 35-year-old New Jersey-based Albanian with a 100 per cent knockout ratio but precious little experience near world level — he has never even gone a scheduled twelve. He has already told anyone who will listen that Joshua is "vulnerable" and that he is going to "shock the world." Good on him for the belief. But Joshua vs Prenga, on paper, is a heavy favourite against a live underdog.
Why The Stakes Are Sky High
The reason Joshua vs Prenga carries weight is what sits behind it: Tyson Fury. The handshake deal is done in principle — both men take their summer warm-ups, both men win, and the all-British blockbuster gets made for the back end of the year, mooted for November. Fury has his own tune-up in Dublin a week after Joshua boxes. So every second of Joshua vs Prenga is being watched through the prism of that mega-fight. One slip and the whole house of cards wobbles.
My Verdict
I am not sitting on the fence. Joshua stops Prenga inside four rounds. Joshua vs Prenga punches, but Prenga has not operated at this altitude and AJ — even a ring-rusty AJ — is simply levels above him in size, power and pedigree. Expect Joshua to walk him onto a right hand early, get the job done, and turn to the camera to call Fury's name. Joshua vs Prenga is the formality. Fury is the prize. Get July 25 right and British boxing's biggest night is finally on.