Anthony Joshua survived an almighty scare on his boxing comeback, rising from the canvas twice before knocking out unknown Albanian Kristian Prenga to pave the way for a Tyson Fury showdown.
Joshua was shockingly sent crashing to the canvas within the first 20 seconds in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, as Prenga threatened to ruin the prospect of a long-awaited ‘Battle of Britain’ against Fury later this year.
The former two-time world heavyweight champion also took a knee later in the first round in his first fight since being involved in a car crash in Nigeria that killed two of his close friends, Sina Ghami and Latif ‘Latz’ Ayodele, in December, days after his win over YouTuber-turned-boxer Jake Paul.
However, Joshua hit back in the second round and a barrage of heavy blows sent Prenga tumbling down, with the Albanian’s inability to beat the count leaving the Briton celebrating a 30th win in 34 fights.
Fury’s win over 46-year-old Mariusz Wach around 4,000 miles away in Thailand on Friday laid down the gauntlet for Joshua, who paid tribute to Ghami and Ayodele, wearing camouflage gear with the names of his friends on his chest.
An emotional Joshua said in the ring afterwards: “It’s what champions do. We rise, we get knocked down and we stand up and we keep going, that’s life’s motto.
“It’s more than punch power, that was spirit, that was Latz, that was Sina, that was the families. It hurts even talking about it. It’s been tough.”
He added: “It’s my brothers. I don’t want to talk about it.”
Joshua was a prohibitive 1/33 favourite on Saturday night against Prenga, whose 20 wins from 21 past fights had all been via knockout, although no one was anywhere near the calibre of his decorated rival.
But Joshua, who has teamed up with former foe Oleksandr Usyk in recent months, was put down within moments of the opening bell as Prenga landed a right hand over the top, followed by a thudding uppercut that found its mark.
Joshua rose on unsteady legs and was sent reeling back towards the ropes by another booming right before being wrestled to the canvas as Prenga showed this was anything but a mismatch.
A left uppercut and a right hand led to Joshua brushing the canvas with his glove before being given another count and at that point his entire career, not just the Fury fight, hung in the balance.
Prenga, though, did not capitalise at the start of the second round, demonstrating his relative inexperience, allowing Joshua to settle into the contest before closing the show in stunning fashion.
A jab-cross jolted Prenga and the 35-year-old took another three heavy blows, the last a punishing right hand that landed him through the ropes, flat on his back before the referee waved off the fight.
Fury was not in attendance, having said 24 hours earlier he planned to go straight home to the Isle of Man from Thailand and see his family, although Joshua’s promoter Eddie Hearn said contracts for the all-British blockbuster have been signed.
While Fury-Joshua is expected to happen later this year, it is not yet known when and where it will happen.
Joshua said: “Wait a minute, have we got Tyson Fury in the room? To more important matters, is he here or not?
“All jokes aside, there are two sides. One is the fighter, you have to have that vim, and the other is respect.
“I respect everything he has done and everything that he has achieved, but as a fighting person and 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.”
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