Kristian Prenga has broken his silence and assessed the power of Anthony Joshua after getting knocked out in their heavyweight showdown last month.
The pair collided in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, with Prenga treated as little more than a low-risk opponent ahead of Joshua’s expected clash with Tyson Fury later this year.
Despite boasting a 100% knockout-to-win ratio, the Albanian had competed nowhere near the level of ‘AJ’, with his most notable victory arriving against Joey Dawejko in 2024.
Even then, Prenga only won by stoppage after the grizzled gatekeeper pulled out with a shoulder injury, before four subsequent outings contributed to a padded record of 20-1.
The 35-year-old was therefore given barely a puncher’s chance against Joshua, but nonetheless floored his man with a right uppercut in the first 20 seconds of their contest.
Remarkably, he then scored a second opening-round knockdown, leaving his 36-year-old opponent in a state of vulnerability that reminded us of his plight against Daniel Dubois in 2024.
But instead of suffering a stoppage defeat this time around, Joshua managed to return the favour and halt his man in the following three minutes.
Speaking with boxing journalist Tris Dixon, Prenga explained how it felt to endure a fight-ending right hand from one of the division’s most formidable punchers.
“Of course, it’s power because it’s the first time I got knocked down in my career, in my life. I’ve never been knocked down in sparring. It’s the first time. I think he has the power.”
While Joshua is seemingly inching towards a long-awaited encounter with Fury, Prenga has managed to raise his profile to a point where, in his next fight, he will surely be taken a little more seriously.
