Anthony Joshua knocks out Kristian Prenga after worst round of his career

Joshua Stops Prenga in Second Round

Anthony Joshua knocked out Kristian Prenga in the second round in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, according to The Telegraph. Joshua was knocked down in the first round but recovered to win, with the bout serving as a comeback of sorts after a difficult period.

Speaking after the fight, Joshua said his recovery was aided by 'a higher power,' as reported by The Telegraph. He also called out Tyson Fury, saying he would 'rip his heart out.' He reflected on the deaths of his friends, stating that 'every time I think about it, it hurts.' The report noted that his friends Latif Ayodele and Sina Ghami died in a car accident in Nigeria.

Oleksandr Usyk, who beat Joshua twice, said Joshua is now 'better' after training with him, according to The Telegraph.

Fury Fight in Doubt

The immediate aftermath was dominated by the increasingly bitter contract dispute threatening Joshua's proposed fight with Tyson Fury. Promoter Eddie Hearn told The Telegraph: "We've signed the contract, it's done." Yet Fury offered a starkly different assessment, telling Al Jazeera that the fight "doesn't look like it's going to happen," accusing Joshua and Hearn of being "money-thirsty" and demanding more money despite having had 'boxing deals, darts deals, snooker deals.' Fury also called Joshua and Hearn 'disgusting' and called Joshua a 'coward.'

The dispute centres on the venue. According to Al Jazeera, the fight was scheduled for November after both signed a contract with Turki Alalshikh, Saudi Arabia's General Entertainment Authority chairman. Reports indicate Joshua and Hearn signed for a UK venue, while Saudi organisers push for the US, with Madison Square Garden as the likely location. Hearn, quoted by SPORTbible, claimed the original contract stipulates the fight should be held in the UK and threatened no fight if the venue changes.

The fallout has even drawn in UFC president Dana White, who suggested the fight should be held where the money is. Hearn, quoted by SPORTbible, threatened to sue him and said TKO is not allowed to be involved in negotiations per Joshua's contract. White responded dismissively, saying he had stopped listening to Hearn about three months ago and called him "completely full of s--t." Netflix released a trailer for the fight during WWE Raw, owned by TKO, the parent company of White's Zuffa Boxing, as reported by SPORTbible. Fury teased on Instagram: "I've got some big news going to be dropped very, very soon."

Other Bouts

On the same card, Hamzah Sheeraz retained his WBO super middleweight title with a majority decision over Simon Zachenhuber, with judges' scores of 114-114, 115-113, and 116-112, according to The Telegraph. Carl Frampton called Sheeraz 'one of the best pound-for-pound fighters' in Britain. In another bout, Josh Kelly defeated Caoimhin Agyarko in a bloody fight, with Kelly's nose streaming with blood.

Fury's Verdict

Tyson Fury, after beating Mariusz Wach, said Joshua's test against Prenga was 'the biggest test of all' and questioned Joshua's courage, as reported by The Telegraph.