Anthony Joshua Stops Kristian Prenga in Round Two

Anthony Joshua survived two knockdowns in a disastrous opening round before recovering to knock out Kristian Prenga at 2min 43sec of the second round at the Jeddah Superdome in Saudi Arabia.

The result was the one expected when the contest was arranged, but the route taken was anything but routine. Joshua, the former two-time unified heavyweight champion, was returning in a bout designed to move him towards the long-discussed meeting with Tyson Fury. Prenga arrived with 20 victories, all by knockout, and only one defeat. His record had been built away from the highest level, but his power was genuine enough to place the entire promotion in danger within 20 seconds.

The two heavyweights met at close quarters almost immediately. Prenga, 6ft 5in and sufficiently large to prevent Joshua enjoying his usual physical advantage, drove a short right uppercut through the Briton’s guard. Joshua went down heavily and rose smiling, although the expression was rather more convincing than his legs.

Prenga did not hesitate. He advanced behind further right hands as Joshua attempted to clear his head, hold when possible and reach the safety of the bell. Joshua remained upright for most of the round but was plainly unsteady. A second right forced his glove to touch the canvas and produced another official count. Once again, Joshua smiled at the referee. It was becoming an evening in which he was doing rather too much smiling and not nearly enough defending.

Prenga had every reason to press for the finish, but his attacks became hurried. He threw with considerable force without setting each punch up, allowing Joshua precious seconds to move, clinch and recover. Joshua reached the end of the round, although a 10–7 score for Prenga was unavoidable. For the first three minutes, the proposed Fury contest had looked less like a future attraction than an abandoned project.

Joshua emerged for the second round with his balance restored and his approach simplified. Instead of waiting at close range, he used the left jab to place Prenga at the end of his punches. The Albanian, so effective while Joshua had been hurt, now found himself being pushed backwards by a man with the quicker hands and considerably greater experience.

The change was immediate. Joshua’s jab began reaching the target, and the straight right followed behind it. Prenga’s guard, compact enough when he was advancing, became less dependable as he retreated. He had spent heavily in pursuit of the first-round stoppage and no longer carried quite the same sharpness in either his feet or his punches.

With approximately a minute remaining, Joshua landed a firm right hand which drove Prenga towards the ropes. He followed without wasting the opportunity, punching in combination as the Albanian attempted to cover. Another right found the mark and left Prenga badly shaken. Joshua then delivered the final straight right with full weight behind it, dropping his opponent against and almost through the ropes.

Prenga was unable to continue, and the contest was over at 2min 43sec. There were no scorecards to consult and no official punch totals had been published immediately after the fight. None was required to explain the result. Prenga had dominated the opening round and twice placed Joshua on the floor; Joshua recovered, established the jab and finished with the greater accuracy once the Albanian’s first assault had failed.

The victory improved Joshua’s record to 30 wins and four defeats, with 27 knockouts. Prenga fell to 20–2, all 20 of his victories having come inside the distance. The Albanian emerged with credit for exposing Joshua’s continuing vulnerability to short right hands and for coming close to producing a considerable upset. He also discovered the familiar danger of failing to finish an experienced heavyweight after hurting him.

Joshua’s powers of recovery were the most encouraging part of his performance. The opening round, however, cannot simply be erased because the ending was emphatic. Against Fury or another leading heavyweight, two knockdowns in the first three minutes are unlikely to be treated as a temporary inconvenience. Joshua showed courage, composure and his established finishing ability, but he also supplied further evidence that his defence remains uncertain when an opponent gets close enough to punch between his guard.

The proposed contest with Fury remains without a formally announced date or venue, but Joshua completed his side of the immediate arrangement. For four alarming minutes, that outcome appeared doubtful. He eventually won with the authority expected of him, although not before Prenga had turned a supposed preparatory contest into a rather stern examination.