Anthony Joshua went through one of the most dramatic tests of his career after surviving two knockdowns and achieving a knockout victory over Christian Prenga in the second round of the gala evening in Jeddah, reports sportal.bg. The Briton returned to the ring for the first time since the serious car accident in Nigeria in December, which killed his close friends Sina Gami and Lateef Ayodele.
The fight started nightmarishly for Joshua. Just 20 seconds after the first gong, he was knocked to the floor after a powerful uppercut from the outsider Prenga. Later in the opening round, the Briton was knocked down again and seemed on the verge of one of the most sensational losses in the history of the heavyweight division. Instead, the former world champion showed character, regained the initiative and ended the fight with a knockout in the second round, thus preserving the plans for his long-awaited clash with Tyson Fury.
“It's more than just the power of the punch. It was spirit, it was Latz, it was Cena, it was the families. It hurts me to even talk about it. It was tough“, said 36-year-old Joshua after the fight.
Moved to tears, he briefly interrupted his interview before adding: “These are my brothers. I don't want to talk about it.“
The Briton also commented on the upcoming fight with Tyson Fury.
“I respect everything he's done and everything he's achieved. I hope the fans get a great show“, Joshua said.
The contracts for the mega-fight have already been signed, but the venue and date of the fight, which boxing fans have been waiting for for more than a decade, have not yet been announced. With the victory, Anthony Joshua improved his professional balance to 30 wins and 4 losses, and this was his 27th victory by knockout. For 35-year-old Albanian Cristian Prenga, the defeat is only the second in the professional ring.