
Anthony Joshua will have a tune up fight on July 25 in Saudi Arabia in preparation for his big fight against Tyson Fury later on in the year.
Promoter Eddie Hearn confirmed on Monday that the AJ vs Fury fight is definitely on after contracts were signed. There is no official date, but at this moment in time the fight will be taking place.
It has been announced that AJ will return to the ring for the first time since he was involved in a car crash that saw two of his close friends sadly die. It was rumoured that AJ would never fight again, but he will at least have two fights in 2026.
His last bout was against Jake Paul in Florida last December where the Brit knocked out the You Tuber in the sixth round. His last real fight was against fellow Brit Daniel Dubois when he suffered a shock knockout defeat in the fifth round as he failed to win the IBF heavyweight title.
AJ has a professional record 33 fights, 29 wins and four losses. His defeats have come against Andy Ruiz Jr, Oleksandr Usyk twice and Dubois.
After the fight with Prenga was announced, Joshua said:
"It's no secret I've taken some time to consolidate and rebuild to be ready for stepping back into the ring and today is the next step on that journey. I'm delighted to have agreed a multi-fight deal starting with July 25 in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
"I'm looking forward to competing and picking up where I left off. As I said: The landlord will collect his rent. That is certain."
Prenga is an Albanian fighter with a professional record of 21 fights, 2o wins and just one defeat. It looks like an impressive record, but he has not been in the ring with anyone of note. He is basically a sparring partner to allow Joshua to get rid of some ring rust.
This fight is all about Joshua getting ready fitness wise and it will not be a test of Joshua's boxing abilities. This fight will go on as long as AJ wants it to.
This could be over in one punch or AJ could string Prenga along for a few rounds. This fight goes on until AJ gets bored and he knocks Prenga out. That is what is going to happen. AJ will win this fight by knockout, the only jeopardy is what round it will be in.
Do not be fooled into thinking this is a genuine contest. I am backing AJ to win by knockout, and because he wants some time in the ring I will go for the stoppage in the fifth round. He will play with Prenga and end it when he sees fit.
Anthony Joshua to win - 1/33 @ William Hill
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