Boxing News Hall of Fame writer Graham Houston weighs up Anthony Joshua’s fight against Kristian Prenga in Jeddah on Saturday and gives his best tips.
Anthony Joshua vs Kristian Prenga Tips Preview
Anthony Joshua is in a sense starting all over again when meets Kristian Prenga in the PPV main event in Jeddah on Saturday,
It’s been a rough two years for the former heavyweight champion.
As if getting knocked out by Daniel Dubois wasn’t bad enough, Joshua received criticism for a lacklustre performance against Jake Paul in December 2025 and has since been inactive.
Joshua returns to the ring in Jeddah on Saturday, and a win is essential to secure AJ’s long awaited meeting with Tyson Fury.
Actually, Joshua needs more than simply to win. He needs to produce the sort of performance that will convince the boxing public that he still has the ingredients that took him to superstardom.
AJ’s opponent, Kristian Prenga, has in a sense been plucked from obscurity.
The big man from Albania (now a New Jersey resident) has scored 20 KOs in his 20-1 record, which on paper is impressive.
But Prenga is 35 years old. If he had true potential, we would surely have heard of him long before now.
Prenga’s record has been built up on hand-picked opponents. He has rudimentary skills. Mostly it’s the jab with the right hand to follow. Sometimes he will flurry to the body. But he’s slow, predictable and plodding.
The most recognisable name on Prenga’s record would probably be that of Joey Dawejko, the pudgy Philadelphian who at one time had quite a reputation for durability.
Dawejko lasted into the fifth round against Prenga before suffering what appeared to be a biceps injury.
At no time was Dawejko in any sort of trouble against Prenga. He clowned around and mocked Prenga all through the unedifying affair, making the “nothing” gesture after getting hit and urging the Albanian fans to cheer louder.
If it hadn't been for the injury, Dawejko would probably have gone the distance.
So, Prenga’s KO stats do seem to be a bit deceiving.
Joshua, meanwhile, is now 36 and he doesn’t seem to be the fighter he once was.
AJ didn’t react well to punches in the KO loss to Daniel Dubois.
Jake Paul gave Joshua the runaround for six rounds although to be fair to AJ it isn’t easy for a fighter to look good against an opponent who is in full flight.
Joshua is now in rebuilding mode, then, but AJ showed he still has ambition and desire by training alongside Oleksandr Usyk to absorb boxing knowledge from his old rival.
This might have been just what Joshua needed to give him a psychological boost after the bad times he’s endured.
Anthony Joshua vs Kristian Prenga Tale of the Tape
Anthony Joshua | Kristian Prenga | |
Record: | 29-4 (26 KOs) | 20-1 (20 KOs) |
Age: | 36 | 35 |
Birthplace: | Watford, England | Orosh, Albania |
Height: | 6ft 6ins | 6ft 5ins |
Stance: | Orthodox | Orthodox |
Last Fight: | Won (TKO) vs Jake Paul (Dec 25) | Won (TKO) vs Joe Jones (Feb 26) |
KO%: | 89.66% | 100% |
Alias: | 'AJ' | 'The Eagle' |
Anthony Joshua vs Kristian Prenga Top Tips & Bet Builder
Top Tip
Bet Builder
- Fight Result: Anthony Joshua
- Total Rounds: Over 3.5
I think it’s a foregone conclusion that Joshua wins. Prenga is stepping up many levels. Joshua is better everywhere.
It’s true that Joshua hasn’t been looking too good lately, but there is too much money at stake for Joshua’s team to risk matching him against an opponent who poses a real threat.
How to bet the fight gets a little tricky. Joshua is a 1/20 favourite. The “Distance — No” proposition is an eye-watering 1/12. Joshua to win by KO/TKO is 1/8.
Not much value there.
There are two bets I like. One is a bet builder, Joshua to win 3-way @ 1/18 teamed with the over 3.5 rounds @ 5/6. This gives you a price of 10/11 for the bet builder, which I think is quite reasonable.
The other bet that appeals to me is for Joshua to win in rounds 1-6 @ 4/11.
After all he’s been through, I don’t think Joshua will be looking to do damage right out of the gate. I think it’s more likely that he will box conservatively for a round or two, using the jab, not taking too many chances.
Prenga is talking a good fight, saying he plans to shock the world. He’s a big, strong, proud guy. I think he will come to try. I’m sure he’s trained as never before.
But we don’t know if Prenga can take a punch. He’s never met anyone with anywhere near Joshua’s firing power. Prenga could fold the first time he gets hit cleanly — or he could hang in there for some rounds. We just don’t know.
My best guess is that the fight ends somewhere around the fifth or sixth round. So Joshua in rounds 1-6 looks good to me.
As for the over 3.5 rounds, it’s honestly a toss-up because Prenga has never boxed at this level before. But I think Prenga can just about make it into the second half of round four.
All odds displayed on this page were correct at the time of writing and are subject to withdrawal or change at any time.
