Anthony Joshua v Kristian Prenga: heavyweight boxing – live
Key events
Tonight’s undercard has a strong British interest – Josh Kelly and Hamzah Sheeraz both making the first defences of world titles they won earlier this year.
Sunderland light-middleweight Kelly could have a tricky assignment against unbeaten Caoimhín Agyarko, who is aiming to become Ireland’s first black world champion. Ilford super-middleweight Sheeraz could have a less tricky assignment against Germany’s Simon Zachenhuber, who has a 28-1 record – but that one loss was in a six-rounder in April. And now he’s fighting for a world title. Oh boxing!
Kelly v Agyarko is next up in Jeddah; Sheeraz v Zachenhuber at approx 9.40pm. Updates to come.
Tyson Fury kept up his end of the deal by defeating Mariusz Wach in Thailand on Friday. In case you did not see it – and there’s a strong chance you didn’t, as it wasn’t broadcast live and was filmed for Fury’s reality show on Netflix – here’s the fight report.
“I went through my test tonight,” Fury said (apparently with a straight face after stopping the 46-year-old, 290lb Wach). “Let’s see if he [Joshua] can get through his.” Indeed we will.
Preamble
Anthony Joshua’s first fight of 2026 – a planned tune-up before a showdown with Tyson Fury – comes against exactly the type of opponent you’d expect. Kristian Prenga is a strapping 6ft 5in Albanian with an eye-catching 20-1 (all 20 wins by KO) record that contains a sum total of zero elite opponents.
But hold on, Prenga ultras might ask: when exactly did Britain’s former two-time world champion last see off a real heavyweight threat himself? Joshua’s last three fights are a sixth-round stoppage of YouTuber-turned-boxer Jake Paul, a brutal KO loss to Daniel Dubois and a two-round demolition of mixed-martial artist Francis Ngannou. You have to go back to December 2023 to find the last time AJ defeated a proven heavyweight contender in the shape of Otto Wallin.
Joshua is also returning to the ring after a fatal car crash in Nigeria last December that killed two of his close friends. Although he’s recovered from his injuries, it’s understandable that the 36-year-old’s future in the sport was questioned after such a traumatic experience. No wonder he wants to shake off the ring rust before a long-awaited bout against Fury.
Prenga is a whopping underdog against a fighter with AJ’s credentials. An Olympic gold medallist who’s beaten Joseph Parker, Alexander Povetkin, Wladimir Klitschko – and gone 24 pretty competitive rounds with Oleksandr Usyk – should have no problem polishing off a foe who’s only gone beyond six rounds once. (And that was when Prenga lost an eight-round decision in his fifth pro fight.)
This is heavyweight boxing, so you never 100% know. But it would be a major upset if even the late-career version of AJ were to be seriously troubled by Prenga in Jeddah.
Ring walks are – apparently – at 10.52pm (BST). Lots of updates before then! Feel free to email your thoughts.
