Anthony Joshua’s much-anticipated fight with Tyson Fury remained on course after a chaotic victory of Kristian Prenga which saw him come back from being knocked down twice.
A dismal first three minutes in Jeddah saw him hit the canvas twice, which saw the Albanian look set for a huge shock.
But Joshua recovered and dispatched Prenga shortly after with a series of big right hands as he won his first fight since he was a passenger in a car crash in December that killed friends Sina Ghami and Latif ‘Latz’ Ayodele.
An emotional Joshua dedicated his win to his late team members, saying: “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. It’s my brothers. I don’t want to talk about it.”
AJ: ‘I’ll rip Fury’s heart out!’
AJ looks set for a showdown against fellow Brit heavyweight Fury in November, with the Gypsy King himself stopping stops Mariusz Wach in non-televised bout in Thailand.
Contracts are believed to be already signed for Joshua vs Fury in what will be an Autumn showdown, with the fight set to take place at either Wembley Stadium, although fight organiser Turki Alalshikh is believed to prefer an American venue, according to Eddie Hearn.
After beating Wach, Fury questioned whether Joshua would “have the guts” to take on the former heavyweight champion.
On Fury, Joshua added: “I am going to rip his heart out. 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.”
AJ: Prenga will be up there
Joshua also reserved praise for Prenga, saying: “He’s a strong guy and I think Eddie [Hearn] wants to sign him now!
“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.”
Pictures By Mark Robinson, Matchroom Boxing
