British-Nigerian heavyweight boxer, Anthony Joshua
British-Nigerian boxer Anthony Joshua will make his ring return in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, on Saturday (today) against Albanian heavyweight Kristian Prenga, his first fight since a car crash in Nigeria in December claimed the lives of two of his closest friends and members of his team, Sina Ghami and Latif Ayodele, PUNCH Sports Extra reports.
The bout, to be held at the 40,000-seat Jeddah Superdome, will mark Joshua’s first outing since he stopped American boxer-turned-influencer Jake Paul in Miami ten days before the fatal crash, and his first competitive fight since a knockout defeat to IBF world champion Daniel Dubois at Wembley Stadium in September 2024.
The Jeddah Superdome previously hosted Joshua’s 2022 rematch with Oleksandr Usyk, billed as “Rage on the Red Sea,” in which the Ukrainian retained his WBA (Super), IBF, WBO and IBO titles on a split decision.
Ahead of the fight, Joshua, aged 36, has struck a notably more relaxed tone than in previous fight weeks, telling reporters at Thursday’s news conference in Jeddah that he had been working hard since January to align his preparations.
