Anthony Joshua overcame a dramatic first-round scare before knocking out Kristian Prenga in the second round of their heavyweight clash at the Jeddah Superdome in Saudi Arabia.
The British former world champion secured the victory at the official time of 2 minutes and 43 seconds of round two in the DAZN pay-per-view main event this morning.
Joshua found himself in trouble early as Prenga came out aggressively and landed a powerful right uppercut that appeared to stun the heavyweight. The Albanian fighter continued to apply pressure, driving Joshua back towards the ropes and forcing him to touch the canvas, resulting in a counted knockdown.
Despite the early setback, Joshua remained composed and responded in the second round. He regained control with his jab before setting up a powerful right hand that ended Prenga’s challenge and secured the knockout victory.
The win improves Joshua’s record to 29 victories, four defeats and 26 knockouts, while Prenga drops to 20-2 after entering the bout with an impressive record of 20 wins and 20 knockouts.
There were no judges’ scorecards required as Joshua stopped the contest before the end of the second round.
The victory keeps Joshua’s plans for a highly anticipated showdown with Tyson Fury later this year alive.
However, for a brief period in Jeddah, Prenga threatened to derail those plans with a fearless opening attack.
Joshua’s experience and power ultimately proved decisive, allowing him to recover from the early danger and secure another statement win in the heavyweight division.
Source: DAZN/Middleeasy
