Joshua Rises Twice From the Canvas to Knock Out Kristian Prenga in Round Two

Anthony Joshua completed an extraordinary comeback by knocking out Albania’s Kristian Prenga in the second round of a dramatic heavyweight fight in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.

Prenga stunned the arena just 20 seconds after the opening bell. A powerful right uppercut sent the former two-time world champion crashing to the canvas. Joshua beat the count but appeared badly shaken.

The Albanian boxer continued attacking and dropped Joshua for a second time, this time with a left uppercut. Once again, Joshua managed to get back to his feet and survive until the end of the round.

Prenga finished the opening round with a remarkable 10–7 advantage on the judges’ scorecards and appeared close to securing the biggest victory of his career.

But everything changed in the second round.

Prenga failed to maintain the same pressure, giving Joshua enough time to recover. The British heavyweight first rocked him with a sharp jab before unleashing a powerful combination.

A devastating right hand sent Prenga through the ropes. The Albanian was unable to beat the referee’s count, handing Joshua an incredible knockout victory.

The dramatic turnaround even stunned heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk, whose ringside reaction was captured by television cameras.

The victory also preserved the possibility of the long-awaited all-British showdown between Joshua and Tyson Fury. Promoter Eddie Hearn claims both fighters have signed an agreement to meet later this year, provided they successfully came through their respective warm-up bouts.

“I hope the fans will be in for a lovely treat,” Joshua said when asked about facing Fury.

He then delivered a more aggressive warning:

“I’m going to rip his heart out. Nobody can stop me.”

Joshua admitted that he needed extraordinary strength—and what he described as help from a “higher power”—to rise after being dropped twice. He also praised Prenga’s performance and suggested that Eddie Hearn should sign the Albanian heavyweight.

Prenga entered the ring with an impressive record of 20 victories, all by knockout, and only one defeat. Despite the loss, he accepted the result with dignity.

“Congratulations to him. Tonight wasn’t my night. God’s plan was for him to win. I thought I would drop him again, but it didn’t happen. I want to thank all the Albanian fans who were here,” Prenga said.

Although he lost the fight, Kristian Prenga demonstrated that he possesses the punching power to trouble any heavyweight opponent. For several unforgettable moments, the Albanian stood just one punch away from the victory that could have transformed his career.