Anthony Joshua Survives Early Knockdowns to Stop Kristian Prenga in Saudi Arabia

Anthony Joshua survived two early knockdowns to come back and defeat Kristian Prenga by knockout in the second round, keeping himself firmly on course for a long-awaited showdown with Tyson Fury.

The former world champion was dropped within the opening seconds after walking onto a perfectly timed uppercut from the Albanian.

Prenga took further control of the opening round with a second knockdown, but Joshua survived the remainder of a nervy three minutes to make it back to his corner.

The tables turned in the second as Joshua came out with far greater urgency and landed three huge shots, sending Prenga crashing out of the ring.

The referee still began the count to ten, but there was no chance Prenga would make it back to his feet in time.

The 36-year-old collected the 30th victory of his professional career, adding a 27th knockout to his record.

Of course, with the highly anticipated clash against Tyson Fury edging ever closer, Joshua was asked about the fight during his post-fight interview.

Speaking after the victory, AJ shared his thoughts on the potential heavyweight showdown following his comeback win in Jeddah.

He said: "I respect everything he's done and everything that he's achieved.

"As someone who has been calling for this fight for a long time, we're here now.

"I hope the fans will be in for a lovely treat."

The Watford-born boxer also credited Prenga for his efforts, especially after the difficult opening round.

But ultimately Joshua pushed through the early adversity, with his vast experience helping him come back stronger in round two.

AJ said: "He is a strong guy, you know. He is going to do well, he has a bright future.

"I am a serious fighter, I know my way around the ring. He came and gave me a good test.

"But this is what champions do. We keep going, that's life."

It was an emotional victory for the former unified heavyweight champion following the loss of his two close friends, Sina Ghami and Latif 'Latz' Ayodele.

Matchroom chairman Eddie Hearn praised Joshua's resilience after everything he had endured over the past seven months.

He stated: "No-one can imagine what he's been through.

"He needed boxing to get through this. The camp allowed him to focus his mind when he was going through grief."

With Joshua completing his warm-up in Saudi Arabia, and Fury coming through his own test in Thailand, one of the biggest fights in British boxing history now just awaits confirmation of a date and venue before the excitement can truly begin.

Anthony Joshua def. Kristian Prenga via second-round knockout.

Hamzah Sheeraz def. Simon Zachenhuber via majority decision.

Josh Kelly def. Caoimhin Agyarko via unanimous decision.

Reito Tsutsumi def. Alvino Herrera Meza via second-round knockout.

Jacob Bank def. Pawel August via unanimous decision.

Nishant Dev def. Cesar Diaz via first-round knockout.