Former heavyweight boxing champion Anthony Joshua is set to return to the ring on July 25 following a car crash that claimed the lives of two of his close friends in Nigeria late last year.
The British boxer will face relatively unknown Albanian fighter Kristian Prenga in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, marking his first fight since the tragic incident in December just over a week after his fifth-round knockout victory against YouTuber-turned-boxer Jake Paul.
Speaking ahead of the bout, Joshua said he has taken time to regroup and rebuild mentally and physically, describing the July contest as an important step in his journey back to top form.
There are also strong indications that a blockbuster clash between Joshua and his long-time British rival Tyson Fury could finally happen later this year. Saudi boxing chief Turki Alalshikh hinted on social media that the deal has already been signed, with reports suggesting the fight may take place in the final quarter of the year.
Joshua’s immediate focus, however, is on 35-year-old Prenga, who boasts 20 knockout wins in 21 professional fights but has yet to face an opponent of Joshua’s calibre.
An Olympic gold medallist at the 2012 London Olympics, Joshua is a two-time world heavyweight champion. He won the IBF title in 2016 by knocking out Charles Martin and later unified the division by adding the WBA, WBO, and IBO belts.
His career has seen notable highs and lows, including a shock defeat to Andy Ruiz Jr. in 2019, before reclaiming his titles in a rematch. He later lost them to Oleksandr Usyk in 2021 and again in a rematch in 2022. In 2024, he suffered a fifth-round knockout loss to fellow Briton Daniel Dubois.
The 36-year-old has since undergone elbow surgery and dealt with a shoulder injury, with his only recent outing being a dominant win over Jake Paul.
Meanwhile, Fury recently ended a 16-month retirement with a unanimous decision victory over Arslanbek Makhmudov. Promoter Eddie Hearn confirmed that talks are ongoing to stage the long-anticipated Joshua vs Fury showdown, potentially in November.
