Prenga Warns of Joshua’s Punching Power

Kristian Prenga has admitted that Anthony Joshua’s punching power proved too much for him in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, after suffering the first knockdown of his career before being stopped in the second round of their heavyweight contest.

Prenga floored Joshua twice with a right uppercut in the opening round, but the British-Nigerian recovered from the knockdowns before stopping the Albanian in the second round.

Speaking after the fight, Prenga gave Joshua full credit for the stoppage and acknowledged the strength of his punches.

“Of course, it’s power because it’s the first time I got knocked down in my career, in my life. I’ve never been knocked down in sparring. It’s the first time. I think he has the power,” Prenga said.

The 35-year-old Albanian entered the bout with a 20-1 record and gave Joshua an early scare with the uppercut.

However, Joshua recovered quickly and responded with a stoppage in the following round.

Prenga’s most notable victory before facing Joshua came against Joey Dawejko in 2024, when he won by stoppage after Dawejko withdrew with a shoulder injury.

The fight with Joshua represented a major step up in competition for Prenga and brought increased attention to his career.

Joshua, meanwhile, dedicated the victory to the memory of two close friends and members of his team, Sina Ghami and Latif “Latz” Ayodele, who died in a car crash in Nigeria in December.

“It is more than punch power. That was spirit, that was Latz, that was Sina, that was the families. It hurts to even talk about it. It has been tough. They are my brothers,” Joshua said after the fight.