Anthony Joshua knocked out Christian Prenga after two knockdowns in the first round
This is according to Sport.ua.
Prenga shocked Joshua right from the start
Ahead of the fight, much attention had been focused on Joshua’s return following the tragedy in Nigeria that claimed the lives of two of his closest friends and trainers — Sini Gami and Latif ‘Latsa’ Ayodele. It was to them that the boxer later dedicated his victory.
The Briton’s opponent was Christian Prenga, who went into the fight weighing more than Joshua. For the Albanian, this was the most serious challenge of his professional career.
The start of the fight proved unexpected. Just 19 seconds into the first round, Prenga landed a right uppercut and sent Joshua to the canvas. Shortly afterwards, the Briton found himself on the canvas for a second time, but managed to continue the fight and held on until the break.
The second round ended prematurely
After the break, Joshua completely turned the fight around. He began to land regular right-hand blows on his opponent, seized the initiative, pinned Prenga against the ropes and landed a flurry of punches to the head, after which the fight ended in a second-round knockout. After the final bell, Joshua said he was dedicating the victory to his friends who had died, but did not go into detail about the tragedy.
A potential fight with Fury lies ahead
The victory has allowed Joshua to take another step towards the eagerly anticipated bout with Tyson Fury, which is tentatively scheduled to take place in the autumn. At the same time, the fight against Prenga itself left a mixed impression. Despite the early victory, two knockdowns in the first round once again raised questions about the Briton’s readiness to face an opponent of a significantly higher calibre.
For Prenga himself, this bout could also prove to be an important step in his career. Although he suffered defeat, the start of the fight showed that the Albanian is capable of causing problems even for one of the most famous heavyweight boxers.
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