Anthony Joshua Faces Kristian Prenga in Saudi Arabia on 25 July
Anthony Joshua returns on 25 July against kristian prenga in Saudi Arabia, stepping back into the ring after months away and after addressing the media for the first time since the car accident that killed two of his closest friends. Joshua said he is putting his emotions to one side as he prepares to resume his career next month.
Joshua’s Return to Saudi Arabia
The bout is a tune-up fight, but it lands in a heavy moment for Joshua. He said he was injured in the accident in Nigeria last December, when Sina Ghami and Latif Ayodele died, and he has framed his focus around their parents rather than his own loss.
“I’m just there for their parents. Number one is being a good soldier for them. Gotta look after the boys’ parents,” Joshua said while discussing the crash and its aftermath. He added, “Everyone’s different. Me, I have to put my emotions to the side because I focus on the parents. My emotions can come at a later stage. I really look at the parents and I understand it must be most difficult for them. So I don’t make it about me, I make it about them. I make it about the mums and the dads of the two boys.”
Prenga at the London Event
Kristian Prenga was in London on Monday for the media event, where he said, “I feel sorry for him and his team but I think it’s definitely going to affect him.” Joshua has not been in front of the media since the crash, and the appearance set the stage for a return that is as much about restarting a career as shaking off the pause that followed the accident.
The fight also sits inside a wider build-up. Joshua has been encouraged to keep moving toward a potential Tyson Fury fight in November, and he said the work with Oleksandr Usyk has given him a different perspective. Usyk has beaten him twice, and Joshua pointed to that relationship by saying, “We’ve had our time, we’ve had our fights,” and “So there’s a level of respect there and understanding that you just want to help each other.”
Fury, Usyk and Dubois
Joshua also linked what comes next to recent setbacks and long-view planning. He said Daniel Dubois knocked him out inside five rounds in September 2024, then spoke about Fury’s mindset and even joked about reading Fury’s autobiography: “Yeah, I would. I’ll get someone to nick it.”
That makes the 25 July bout more than a routine return. Joshua is trying to restart after a crash that changed his last few months, protect the path toward November, and show the ring has not moved on while he has been away.
