Kristian

Another dramatic and emotional night in Anthony Joshua’s boxing career ultimately ended as just about everyone expected it would – with the countdown under way to a super-fight against Tyson Fury later in the year.

Joshua, 36, improved his record to 30-4, but he was almost on the end of one of the biggest shocks in his sport’s history when he was knocked down twice by little-known Albanian Kristian Prenga inside the first round.

The Briton regrouped in the second round to land a flurry of hard right hands, sending Prenga crashing to the canvas and getting the win he came to Jeddah for.

BBC Sport has selected some of the best pictures from the fight, which came seven months on from the car crash in Nigeria in which Joshua was injured and two of his closest friends died.

Anthony Joshua suffered two knockdowns – the first happening after just 20 seconds – before recovering to dramatically stop Kristian Prenga in the second round of his comeback fight in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.

The British heavyweight was fighting for the first time since surviving the December car crash in Nigeria that claimed the lives of his close friends Sina Ghami and Latif ‘Latz’ Ayodele.

He was sensationally rocked by a huge uppercut from underdog Prenga in the opening round, and then hit the canvas again later in the round.

At that point he looked on the verge of one of the biggest shock defeats in heavyweight history, with the long-awaited Tyson Fury fight hanging by a thread.

But Joshua produced one of the greatest escapes of his career, and now that fight is on.

He unleashed his right hand in the second round, with the final shot sending Albanian Prenga crashing down and forcing the referee to halt the contest.

“It’s more than punch power. That was spirit, that was Latz, that was Sina, that was the families. It hurts to even talk about it. It has been tough,” Joshua, 36, said.

He choked up and stepped away from the microphone, before adding: “It’s my brothers. I don’t want to talk about it.”

There had been speculation fellow Briton Fury might make a appearance despite insisting he would not attend.

But the master of mind games stayed true to his word, with Fury nowhere to be seen barely 24 hours on from his own warm-up win over Mariusz Wach in Thailand.

“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 about the prospect of fighting Fury.

Contracts have been signed, but the venue and date for a fight more than a decade in the making are still unknown.

This chaotic night, however, belonged to Joshua in a victory forged through adversity during the most difficult months of his life.

Anthony Joshua says he is not ready for the loss of his two close friends and team members to “sink in yet” as he prepares for his first fight since their death.

Sina Ghami and Latif “Latz” Ayodele died when the vehicle they were travelling in, alongside heavyweight boxer Joshua and another passenger, collided with a stationary truck on a major road near Lagos, Nigeria, on 29 December 2025.

Joshua, who sustained minor injuries, is set to return to the ring against heavyweight Kristian Prenga on Saturday for his first contest since knocking out American YouTuber-turned-boxer Jake Paul 10 days before the crash.

The 36-year-old told BBC Sport: “It’s tough, every time I think about it, it hurts.

“Even talking about it now… pictures… it hurts but I keep my mind occupied you know.

“If I stop, you let it sink in and I’m not ready for it to sink in yet.”

Ghami was Joshua’s full-time sport and exercise rehabilitation coach and worked with him for more than 10 years.

Hours before the crash, Joshua posted a video on Instagram of him playing table tennis with his long-time friend Ayodele, a personal trainer.

Prenga will be Joshua’s first competitive fight since his knockout loss to IBF world champion Daniel Dubois at Wembley Stadium in September 2024.

The former world champion admitted to feeling a “little bit nervous” before his return.

“It’s competition at the highest level,” he added.

“I want to perform for my team, I want to make them proud and make myself proud.

“It’s a balance of nerves but I understand what my job is. [I have] a lot of understanding and clarity on what I have to do.”