LONDON — Two-time heavyweight world champion Anthony Joshua survived two early knockdowns on the way to a second-round knockout of Kristian Prenga, his triumphant ring return paving the way for a blockbuster all-British bout with Tyson Fury.
The fight at Jeddah was Joshua’s first since he was involved in a car crash in Nigeria in December that killed two of his close friends, Sina Ghami and Latif Ayodele.
Joshua’s last competitive appearance in the ring was his fifth-round knockout loss to IBF world champion Daniel Dubois at Wembley Stadium in September 2024.
He improved to 30-4, with 27 wins by knockout, but not without drama, AFP reported.
Albania’s Prenga, a knockout artist who had 20 knockout wins in 21 prior fights, sent Joshua to the canvas with a right uppercut just 20 seconds into the bout.
He had Joshua on the ropes again, his legs shaky, before sending him down a second time late in the first.
But Joshua steadied in the second, backing Prenga into the corner behind his jab and hurting the Albanian before landing a brutal combination that sent Prenga crashing through the ropes to end it at 2:43 of the second round.
