Anthony Joshua will enter his comeback fight against Kristian Prenga at 251 pounds, a 7.6lb increase since his last bout in December. The clash is set for Saturday night in Jeddah. Prenga, the unbeaten Albanian challenger, registered a heavier weight of 261.4 pounds, giving him a 10.4lb advantage over Joshua.
This marks Joshua's return to the ring less than a year after a devastating car crash claimed the lives of two close friends and members of his inner circle. He has stated his intention to honor their memory by continuing their planned work and supporting their loved ones.
Prenga, 35, has a professional record with 20 knockout victories, but has not faced an opponent of Joshua's caliber. Joshua, a two-time heavyweight world champion, has previously fought top contenders including Oleksandr Usyk, Daniel Dubois, Joseph Parker, Andy Ruiz Jr., Wladimir Klitschko, and Alexander Povetkin.
Joshua has focused his attention solely on Prenga, deferring discussions about future opponents. However, the bout is widely seen as a stepping stone towards a highly anticipated potential showdown with Tyson Fury. Plans for Fury to appear in Jeddah after Joshua's fight to promote a future confrontation have been cast into doubt by Fury's recent comments about spending time with his family after his own return to the ring in Thailand.
Joshua emphasized during a pre-fight press conference that securing a victory against Prenga is his immediate priority, stating that discussions about conquering the heavyweight division or facing Fury are premature if he does not first overcome his upcoming opponent.