EMOTIONAL Kristian Prenga fought back tears and APOLOGISED to fans after throwing away the chance to upset Anthony Joshua.
The little-known Albanian – who was 20-1 with all his wins by KO – came to Jeddah as a huge outsider.
Kristian Prenga apologised to fans after throwing away the chance to upset Anthony Joshua Credit: Getty
He fought back tears Credit: SUN SPORT
But after 20 SECONDS, he had AJ on the floor following a right uppercut to leave the British legend’s career and super-fight with Tyson Fury in tatters.
And Prenga looked well on his way to an almighty shock when he floored Joshua again with a left uppercut before the round ended.
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AJ – calling on the powers of his late friends Latif Ayodele and Sina Ghami – somehow recovered after coming out for the second round.
And when he had Prenga hurt, Joshua made no mistake when a thunderous right hook dropped the outsider and slumped him on the ropes.
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Hearn feared Joshua’s ‘career was over’ after shock Prenga knockdowns
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It was an incredible but concerning come-from-behind win for AJ – but for Prenga it was the ultimate missed opportunity.
JattvibeSport captured the moment the devastated 35-year-old apologised to his team and a pair of female Albanian fans who asked for a selfie.
He said: “I’m sorry.”
One of the women replied: “Not at all! We are so proud of you. Don’t say that.”
Anthony Joshua vs Kristian Prenga – all the info
Anthony Joshua has BEATEN Kristian Prenga in his comeback fight
British hero Anthony Joshua is back and has KNOCKED OUT Kristian Prenga inside TWO rounds.
In a thrilling encounter, AJ was knocked down TWICE in the opening round by the Albanian.
However, he recovered well and delivered a devastating knockout in the next round to secure the win on his return.
With the win, Joshua now sets up the biggest fight in the history of British boxing against Tyson Fury at the end of the year.
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The Home of Boxing in 2026
There’s a massive year of boxing ahead!
It’s shaping up to be a blockbuster year of action inside the boxing ring.
The Gypsy King has beaten Mariusz Wach in his second fight of the year to set up a huge fight with Anthony Joshua
And AJ did the same, knocking out Kristian Prenga in the second round of a thrilling encounter – the Brit was knocked down twice in the opening round.
And Moses Itauma returns for his toughest fight yet against Filip Hrgovic in August.
Here’s all the big fights coming up…
July
Jattvibe 26 – Errol Spence Jr vs Tim Tszyu
August
Sat 1 – Pierce O’Leary vs Mark Chamberlain – DAZN
Sat 15 – Claressa Shields vs Kaye Scott – DAZN
Sat 29 – Moses Itauma vs Filip Hrgovic – DAZN
September
Sat 12 – Conor Benn vs Ryan Garcia – DAZN
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Fury returned in a warm-up win of his own 24 hours earlier in Thailand where he danced around 46-year-old Mariusz Wach for seven rounds.
Joshua, 36, and Fury, 37, have already signed their contracts to finally fight this year but the date and location still needs to be decided.
AJ’s deal states it MUST take place in the UK but organisers prefer a US bout to accommodate primetime American viewing on Netflix.
It means Joshua’s terms would have to be renegotiated – and the 2012 London Olympic hero admits his legacy would be tarnished if it does not land on home soil.
He said: “When these conversations started, there was never venue or location that was ever mentioned.
“It was a simple, ‘This is the roadmap: a fight, a comeback fight, and then providing you’re victorious, you’ll be fighting Tyson Fury in the UK basically, Wembley.’
“I wouldn’t expect it to be at Tottenham or the Principality Stadium, respectfully, it’s just got that history when you think of Wembley.
“And that was it. There was nothing more to it. Pretty straightforward. Working with His Excellency, working with Matchroom, is always pretty straightforward.
“So I’m not too sure where all this conversation started of different locations and this, that, and the other. I just followed a pretty straightforward, ‘This is the roadmap, fight this fight, get through it, and then this is your next opponent and location.’
“I think it’s pretty simple, I don’t know why they’re complicating the situation.
