Anthony Joshua will return to the boxing ring against Kristian Prenga in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, tonight, with the British heavyweight’s planned fight against Tyson Fury depending heavily on the result. The main-event ring walks are expected at about 10.50pm BST, although the start time could change if earlier bouts run longer than scheduled.
Joshua’s fight with Prenga is taking place at the Jeddah Superdome and will be shown in the UK on DAZN pay-per-view. Radio commentary and live updates are also available through talkSPORT.
The bout has not started at the time of this update. The undercard is continuing, with British world champions Josh Kelly and Hamzah Sheeraz among those appearing before Joshua enters the ring.
Joshua faces powerful but untested opponent
Joshua goes into the contest with a professional record of 29 victories and four defeats, including 26 wins by knockout.
Prenga has 20 victories from 21 professional fights, with all 20 wins coming by knockout. The Albanian heavyweight has won 16 consecutive bouts but has not previously competed at the same level as Joshua.
The 36-year-old Joshua is therefore the clear favourite, but Prenga’s punching record means the former world champion cannot afford to become careless.
Prenga stands at about 6ft 5in and weighed 261.4lb at Friday’s official weigh-in. Joshua came in more than 10lb lighter at 251lb.
The difference in weight may allow Joshua to move more quickly, but Prenga’s size and power could become dangerous if he is allowed to land clean punches.
Joshua will be expected to control the fight with his jab, movement and greater experience. However, heavyweight boxing can change with one punch, particularly when both fighters have strong knockout records.
Tyson Fury fight depends on Joshua victory
Joshua’s meeting with Prenga is widely viewed as a preparation fight before a long-awaited contest with Tyson Fury later in 2026.
Fury completed his own return by stopping veteran heavyweight Mariusz Wach in the seventh round in Thailand on Friday. He then challenged Joshua to complete his part of the proposed agreement by defeating Prenga.
A defeat for Joshua would place the Fury fight in serious doubt and could damage his remaining hopes of returning to the top of the heavyweight division.
Joshua made clear during fight week that he was thinking beyond Saturday’s contest, while insisting that Prenga remained his immediate concern.
“It’s on Prenga, but it’s also on Fury, because I want it all,” Joshua said.
Despite the attention surrounding Fury, Joshua must avoid looking beyond the opponent in front of him. Prenga has little to lose and knows that one victory would transform his career.
British fighters feature on Jeddah undercard
The supporting card includes two world-title contests.
Hamzah Sheeraz is defending his WBO super-middleweight title against Germany’s Simon Zachenhuber, while Josh Kelly is putting his IBF super-welterweight belt on the line against unbeaten Irish challenger Caoimhín Agyarko.
Earlier in the evening, British prospect Mikie Tallon recorded a first-round knockout against Orlando Pino. The 21-year-old ended the contest with a body shot after only 91 seconds, extending his unbeaten professional record.
Oleksandr Khyzhniak, Nishant Dev and Ziyad Almaayouf were also among the winners on the undercard before the world-title contests and heavyweight main event.
For Joshua, the task is straightforward but not without risk: defeat Prenga, avoid injury and keep the Fury contest alive.
A convincing performance would strengthen confidence that Joshua remains capable of competing in major heavyweight fights. A difficult night, even in victory, could raise further questions about how he would cope against Fury.
