Anthony Joshua survives two knockdowns to win dramatic comeback fight

Anthony Joshua survived two first-round knockdowns before producing a dramatic comeback to stop Kristian Prenga in the second round of their heavyweight contest in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.

The victory kept Joshua’s long-awaited showdown with fellow British heavyweight Tyson Fury firmly on course after the former world champion appeared moments away from suffering one of the biggest upsets in boxing history.

Joshua, fighting for the first time since surviving the December car crash in Nigeria that killed his close friends, Sina Ghami and Latif “Latz” Ayodele, was sent crashing to the canvas just 20 seconds into the opening round.

Prenga caught the 36-year-old with a powerful right uppercut that stunned the arena and left Joshua in immediate danger.

Although Joshua smiled while returning to his feet, Prenga continued his attack and floored him again later in the round with a left uppercut.

Joshua appeared unsteady and vulnerable as promoter Eddie Hearn shouted instructions from ringside while his stablemate, Oleksandr Usyk, watched with concern.

Prenga entered the contest with 20 knockouts from his 20 professional victories and appeared close to securing the biggest win of his career.

However, the Albanian surprisingly began fighting off the back foot in the second round, giving Joshua time to recover and regain control of the contest.

Joshua capitalised by drawing Prenga onto a jab before unleashing a crushing right hand. He followed with several more powerful rights, sending Prenga to the canvas and forcing the referee to stop the fight.

The victory extended Joshua’s professional record to 30 wins and four defeats, with 27 of those victories coming by stoppage. It was Prenga’s second professional loss.

An emotional Joshua dedicated the victory to Ghami and Ayodele, whose names he carried on his chest during the fight. Their names were also displayed on the canvas alongside the words, “My Brother’s Keeper.”

“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 said.

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

The contest was Joshua’s first against a recognised professional opponent since Daniel Dubois stopped him in September 2024.

His only appearance since that defeat had been against YouTuber-turned-boxer Jake Paul in December, 10 days before the fatal crash that left Joshua injured and claimed the lives of his two friends.

Attention will now turn to Joshua’s proposed fight against Fury, who defeated 46-year-old Mariusz Wach in Thailand barely 24 hours before Joshua entered the ring.

There had been speculation that Fury would travel to Jeddah to watch Joshua’s comeback, but the former heavyweight champion stayed away. A Fury lookalike briefly fooled reporters after arriving in a taxi, while Fury’s manager, Spencer Brown, said the boxer would be “there in spirit.”

Joshua said he respected Fury’s achievements but was ready for their long-awaited confrontation.

“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,” he said.

Contracts for the fight have been signed, although its date and venue have not been officially announced. The contest is understood to be planned for November and is expected to stream on Netflix.

British boxing fans are hoping the fight will be staged in the United Kingdom, but Saudi organisers and broadcasters reportedly favour a venue in the United States to attract American audiences.

Hearn confirmed that the agreement had been completed but insisted Joshua’s emotional comeback should remain the focus.

“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.”