Prenga talks about Joshua’s strong punches

Kristian Prenga has said that Anthony Joshua’s punching power was too much for him in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. He suffered the first knockdown of his career before being stopped in the second round of their heavyweight fight, PUNCH Sports Extra reports.

Prenga knocked Joshua down twice with a right uppercut in the first round. But the British-Nigerian bounced back and stopped the Albanian in the second round.

After the fight, Prenga spoke with boxing journalist Tris Dixon and gave Joshua full credit for the win.

“Of course, it’s power because it’s the first time I got knocked down in my career, in my life. I’ve never been knocked down in sparring. It’s the first time. I think he has the power,” he said.

Prenga, 35 years old and with a record of 20-1, gave Joshua a scare early on with the uppercut. But Joshua recovered quickly and got the stoppage in the second round.

Before fighting Joshua, Prenga’s biggest win was against Joey Dawejko in 2024. He won that fight by stoppage after Dawejko had to withdraw because of a shoulder injury. The fight with Joshua was a big step up for Prenga in terms of competition and attention.

Joshua dedicated his victory to his late friends and team members, Sina Ghami and Latif “Latz” Ayodele. They died in a car crash in Nigeria last December.

“It is more than punch power. That was spirit, that was Latz, that was Sina, that was the families. It hurts to even talk about it. It has been tough. They are my brothers,” Joshua said in the ring after the fight.