Anthony Joshua is set to face off against lesser-known Kristian Prenga on July 25 before eventually meeting his long-time rival, Tyson Fury.
The former two-time heavyweight champion has been inactive since his dominant victory over YouTuber-turned-boxer Jake Paul in December. Joshua was initially scheduled to return to the ring in March but was involved in a tragic car accident in Nigeria shortly after defeating Paul, resulting in the deaths of his close friends Kevin Ayodele and Sina Ghami.
Following a period of recovery from the harrowing incident, the 36-year-old has been spotted training with former rival-turned-friend Oleksandr Usyk in Valencia. Joshua recently made his first appearance in the UK post-accident, supporting Derek Chisora in his bout against Deontay Wilder. Subsequently, he witnessed Tyson Fury’s triumph over Arslanbek Makhmudov and the subsequent call-out for a swift showdown, which Joshua initially declined.
However, Joshua has now reached an agreement to face Fury in November, contingent upon his victory over Prenga in Saudi Arabia this summer. The fight will be broadcast on DAZN. Expressing his excitement, Joshua stated, “I’m delighted to have agreed a multi-fight deal starting with July 25 in the kingdom of Saudi Arabia. I’m looking forward to competing and picking up where I left off. As I said. The landlord will collect his rent. That is certain.”
Albanian heavyweight Prenga, with 20 knockout wins and only one defeat to his name, is confident of causing an upset. He remarked, “Anthony Joshua is a great fighter, but he made a terrible miscalculation in picking me as his opponent. This is the kind of fight that changes everything in my life and his. I know they have big plans ahead after this fight. I know they are overlooking me. I’m happy about that. I will derail their plans and shock the world this July in Saudi Arabia.”
