Adedokun Waliyu 
Former heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua is set to return to the ring with a comeback fight against Kristian Prenga in Saudi Arabia in July.
The bout comes months after a tragic car crash in Nigeria in December that claimed the lives of two of Joshua’s close friends, just over a week after his last fight — a fifth-round knockout victory over Jake Paul.
Joshua said he had taken time to recover and rebuild before stepping back into boxing, describing the upcoming fight as the next stage in his return journey.
There are also ongoing discussions about a potential high-profile clash with Tyson Fury later in the year, a matchup long anticipated by boxing fans.
Before that, Joshua will face Prenga, who has recorded 20 wins — all by knockout — in 21 professional fights, though he has yet to face an opponent of Joshua’s calibre.
Joshua, an Olympic gold medallist from London 2012, is a two-time heavyweight world champion. He won the IBF title in 2016 by defeating Charles Martin and later unified the division by adding the WBA, WBO and IBO belts.
He lost those titles in a shock defeat to Andy Ruiz Jr in 2019 but regained them in a rematch. He later lost them again to Oleksandr Usyk in 2021 and was defeated again in their rematch in 2022.
Joshua also suffered a loss to Daniel Dubois in 2024 in a fight for the IBF title. Following that, he underwent elbow surgery and dealt with a shoulder injury.
Meanwhile, Fury recently returned from retirement with a victory over Arslanbek Makhmudov, and promoters have begun negotiations for a potential showdown between the two British heavyweights later in the year.
