British-Nigerian heavyweight boxer Anthony Joshua returned to winning ways with a second-round knockout victory over Kristian Prenga at the Jeddah Superdome in Saudi Arabia on Saturday.
Joshua overcame a difficult opening round, during which he was knocked down twice by Prenga, before producing a dominant response in the second round to stop his opponent.
The victory was Joshua’s first since he was involved in a road traffic accident on the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway in December last year, in which two of his close friends and trainers reportedly lost their lives.
The former two-time unified heavyweight world champion improved his professional record to 30 wins from 34 fights, with 27 of those victories coming by knockout. Prenga, meanwhile, suffered only the second defeat of his 22-fight professional career.
The win also marked Joshua’s 10th second-round knockout in his professional career.
Prenga made a fast start, flooring Joshua with an uppercut less than 20 seconds into the contest. Joshua beat the count but was knocked down again moments later before recovering to see out the opening round.
The second round proved decisive as Joshua took control, landing a series of punches before connecting with a powerful hook that stopped Prenga. The Albanian failed to land a punch during the round as Joshua completed the comeback victory.
The result strengthens the prospect of a long-anticipated all-British heavyweight bout between Joshua and Tyson Fury, with a proposed clash expected later this year, although no date has yet been announced.
