British-Nigerian boxer Anthony Joshua will make his ring return in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, on Saturday (today) against Albanian heavyweight Kristian Prenga, his first fight since a car crash in Nigeria in December claimed the lives of two of his closest friends and members of his team, Sina Ghami and Latif Ayodele, PUNCH Sports Extra reports.
The bout, to be held at the 40,000-seat Jeddah Superdome, will mark Joshua’s first outing since he stopped American boxer-turned-influencer Jake Paul in Miami ten days before the fatal crash, and his first competitive fight since a knockout defeat to IBF world champion Daniel Dubois at Wembley Stadium in September 2024.
The Jeddah Superdome previously hosted Joshua’s 2022 rematch with Oleksandr Usyk, billed as “Rage on the Red Sea,” in which the Ukrainian retained his WBA (Super), IBF, WBO and IBO titles on a split decision.
Ahead of the fight, Joshua, aged 36, has struck a notably more relaxed tone than in previous fight weeks, telling reporters at Thursday’s news conference in Jeddah that he had been working hard since January to align his preparations.
Joshua has also spoken candidly about still coming to terms with the deaths of Ghami, his rehabilitation coach of more than ten years, and Ayodele, his personal trainer and close friend, saying he has chosen to keep his mind occupied rather than let the grief take hold.
“It is tough, every time I think about it, it hurts. If I stop, you let it sink in, and I am not ready for it to sink in yet,” he told the BBC in the build-up to the fight.
A win for Joshua is expected to set up a long-awaited domestic showdown with fellow Briton Tyson Fury, after the Gypsy King succeeded in his own warm-up assignment.
Fury delivered his end of the bargain on Friday, stopping 46-year-old Polish veteran Mariusz Wach by technical knockout in the seventh round in Pattaya, Thailand, in a contest that was not broadcast live and watched by 1,500 spectators.
It was Fury’s second win in as many fights this year following a sixteen-month lay-off, and sets up the prospect of the Battle of Britain bout being finalised in the coming months.
promoter, Eddie Hearn, had earlier dismissed suggestions from Fury that the fight might not materialise, insisting that only defeat or injury this weekend could derail the bout, which is expected to take place in November. “What fight has AJ ever pulled out of? Do not forget, AJ has not only fought every contender he could have, he also previously signed to fight Tyson Fury, who pulled out of the fight because of an arbitration ruling involving Deontay Wilder. The only thing that is going to stop the fight from happening in November is if one of these guys gets beat this weekend or picks up an injury,” Hearn said.
