Anthony Joshua recovers from two knockdowns to win dramatic comeback fight and set up Tyson Fury showdown
Published 26/07/2026 at 10:08 GMT+1
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Anthony Joshua survived an almighty scare on his much anticipated return to the ring on Saturday, after recovering from two first-round knockdowns to seal a dramatic win over Kristian Prenga in Saudi Arabia. Now a meeting with Tyson Fury looks to be on the cards.
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The British heavyweight made his comeback to the sport for the first time since the death of two close friends, Sina Ghami and Latif "Latz" Ayodele, in a car crash in Nigeria last year.
Joshua's return got off to the worst start possible after he was knocked down in the opening 20 seconds of the fight by Prenga.
The Albanian continued his onslaught and sensationally produced another knockdown later in the opening round to put Joshua on the verge of the biggest upset of his professional boxing career.
However, Prenga was floored by a powerful right hand from Joshua in the second round, which forced the referee to bring the bout to an end.
Speaking after the fight, an emotional Joshua dedicated the victory to his late friends.
"It's more than punch power," he said. "That was spirit, that was Latz, that was Sina, that was the families.
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"It hurts to even talk about it. It has been tough. It's my brothers. I don't want to talk about it."
It was Joshua's first fight since he defeated YouTuber Jake Paul in December.
The result means that Joshua looks set to be on a collision course with fellow Briton Tyson Fury after the blockbuster fight was announced earlier this year.
Joshua's win came just 24 hours after Fury claimed a technical knockout victory over Poland's Mariusz Wach in Pattaya, Thailand.
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The former WBC champion wasted no time in calling out Joshua and warned that he will face the "biggest test of all".
When asked about Fury, Joshua used a famous Mike Tyson quote to describe his feelings before adding that the fight will be a "treat" for the boxing world.
"I am going to rip his heart out," he began. "I am the meanest and most vicious champion there has ever been.
"All jokes aside, I respect everything he has done and achieved but we are here now. I hope the fans will be in for a lovely treat."
The 36-year-old was also full of praise for his Albanian opponent and suggested that promoter Eddie Hearn could add him to his books.
"He's a strong guy and I think Eddie [Hearn] wants to sign him now," Joshua added.
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"He is going to do well and has a bright future. Maybe with a bit more experience, he will be up there with the rest of us.
"He is strong and durable and gave me a good test but this is what champions do, we rise. We get knocked down and stand up. That's life."
Although most of the post-match conversation involved Fury, Hearn was quick to highlight the journey that Joshua has been through over the last year.
"We've signed the contract. Everything is done," Hearn said. "But tonight wasn't about Tyson Fury. It was about the strength Anthony Joshua has shown just to be here.
"No-one knows what he's been through over the last seven months. When he went down in the first round, I thought he'd come back too soon."
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