Anthony Joshua overcame two first-round knockdowns to secure a victory against Kristian Prenga in Jeddah, keeping his scheduled November fight with Tyson Fury intact.

Anthony Joshua defeated Kristian Prenga by knockout in the second round of their bout in Jeddah on Sunday morning. Joshua was knocked down twice in the first round before recovering to stop his opponent, clearing the way for his upcoming fight against Tyson Fury in November.

A chaotic opening round

Within 20 seconds of the opening bell, Kristian Prenga floored Joshua with a right uppercut. Joshua struggled with unsteady legs for the remainder of the round and was knocked down a second time with 30 seconds remaining. Despite the setbacks, Joshua managed to fire back just before the round ended.

Turnaround and knockout

Joshua entered the second round with renewed purpose, hurting Prenga early. With 20 seconds left in the round, Joshua landed two heavy right hands followed by a powerful right that left Prenga unable to continue. The victory keeps Joshua on track for his highly anticipated contest with Tyson Fury, which is expected to take place later this year.

Preparation and context

Joshua trained for this bout with Oleksandr Usyk and his team, weighing in at 251lb. This was Joshua's first fight since a car accident last December that resulted in the deaths of his friends Sina Ghami and Latif Ayodele. Following the win, Joshua expressed respect for Fury while maintaining his focus on their upcoming match.