British boxing star Anthony Joshua is preparing to lace up his gloves again on July 25, making his comeback following a devastating car crash that claimed the lives of two of his close friends in Nigeria last December just days after his knockout win over internet personality Jake Paul.
The 36-year-old former two-time heavyweight world champion will face Albanian prospect Kristian Prenga in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, in what is expected to be a tune-up fight before a highly anticipated clash with longtime domestic rival Tyson Fury later this year.
“It’s no secret I’ve taken some time to consolidate and rebuild to be ready for stepping back into the ring, and this is the next step on that journey,” Joshua said in confirming the Riyadh date.
Prenga, 35, arrives with an imposing 20-win, 20-knockout record from 21 professional bouts — though he has yet to be tested at anything close to the level Joshua represents.
The announcement came almost simultaneously with a social media post from Saudi boxing powerbroker Turki Alalshikh, who strongly hinted that a Joshua-Fury agreement had been reached. “To my friends in Great Britain — it’s happening. It’s signed,” Alalshikh wrote, with Ring Magazine reporting the all-British showdown could land in the fourth quarter of 2026.
Joshua’s promoter Eddie Hearn had confirmed days earlier that negotiations for a November bout with Fury were already underway. Fury himself returned from a 16-month retirement just weeks ago, defeating Russian heavyweight Arslanbek Makhmudov by unanimous decision.
An Olympic gold medalist at London 2012, Joshua boasts a professional record of 29 wins — 26 by stoppage — against four losses. His career highlights include capturing the IBF title in 2016 and later unifying it with the WBA, WBO, and IBO belts, before back-to-back losses to Oleksandr Usyk cost him his titles in 2021 and 2022. A 2024 IBF title bid against compatriot Daniel Dubois also ended in a fifth-round stoppage defeat, after which Joshua underwent surgery on both his elbow and shoulder.
With his body healed and his mind reset, Joshua appears ready to make one final push toward heavyweight immortality beginning July 25 in the Saudi desert.
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