One of the biggest shockers for fight fans on Monday, April 27 was not the news that Anthony Joshua was returning to the ring on July 25, but that he was fighting the unheralded boxer Kristian Prenga, despite AJ’s promoter Eddie Hearn previously describing Deontay Wilder — a bigger-name opponent — as a warm-up.
The sport’s financier, Turki Alalshikh, confirmed the fight would land in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, with DAZN streaming the fight worldwide.
“It’s no secret I’ve taken some time to consolidate and rebuild to be ready for stepping back into the ring and today is the next step on that journey,” Joshua said, in a statement sent to Boxing Social at the tume.
“I’m delighted to have agreed a multi-fight deal starting with July 25th in the kingdom of Saudi Arabia. I’m looking forward to competing and picking up where I left off.”
“As I said. The landlord will collect his rent. That is certain.”
— Anthony Joshua
Prenga, meanwhile, added: “Anthony Joshua is a great fighter, but he made a terrible miscalculation in picking me as his opponent. This is the kind of fight that changes everything in my life and his.
“I know they have big plans ahead after this fight, I know they are overlooking me, [and] I’m happy about that,” he added. “I will derail their plans and shock the world.”
Despite Prenga’s comments, many fans were left unhappy.
“This tells you everything you need to know about where they think AJ is, this proves Wilder is no warm up,” one fan said, in a comment beneath Matchroom’s announcement of the bout to its followers on X.
“I love AJ and completely understand having a comeback fight after a long time out the injury and everything else but this opponent is pathetic,” another commenter posted. “Absolute nobody and you gonna try sell it as dangerous as his ko is high but its vs bums. Not good enough — [Jake] Paul is better.”
A third fan perhaps summed up the general mood best with a single word. “Who?”
Elsewhere, Boxing Social reporter Adam Noble-Forcey’s latest despatch showcased the true chaos that can unfurl in European boxing, as fans attacked a Russian light heavyweight fighter called Sergei Gorokhov. Find out all the information in our report.
And finally, Boxing Social reporter Lily Ulloa had boots on the ground in Montebello, California, covering Felix ‘Tito’ Trinidad, and Trinidad Sr.’s induction into the National Boxing Hall of Fame.
