Joshua upbeat ahead of Prenga fight, eyes future Fury showdown

Anthony Joshua will step into the ring on Saturday in Jeddah for his first fight since the December car crash in Nigeria that killed two of his closest friends and team members, Sina Ghami and Latif 'Latz' Ayodele. The British heavyweight appeared notably relaxed at Thursday's press conference, laughing with reporters and encouraging Albanian fans to bring their energy.

A victory would move Joshua to the brink of a long-awaited all-British showdown with Tyson Fury, provided Fury wins his warm-up fight against Mariusz Wach in Thailand on Friday. "I understand there's a big picture. The goal is to conquer the universe, right? But first we must conquer Earth. And this is my target here," Joshua said.

Joshua has not beaten an established heavyweight since defeating Otto Wallin in December 2023. His opponent, Kristian Prenga, has 20 knockout victories and one loss, but has never faced anyone near Joshua's level. Prenga's manager Keith Sullivan described the contest as a "real-life Rocky moment," while Prenga predicted a knockout win.

When asked if he believed Prenga could knock him out, Joshua smiled and said, "Can he knock me out? I really don't believe it. But only God knows that." The Watford fighter was more relaxed than usual, trading jokes with the host about wearing a blazer in the Jeddah heat and saluting supporters.

Promoter Eddie Hearn said there are "many, many more chapters to write" in Joshua's career, beginning with the potential Fury fight later this year. However, Joshua gently deflected questions about Fury. "We don't want to talk about Tyson Fury. Respectfully, I've done all the media I can about what the future holds. Our focus is [Prenga] and his team," he said. "Let's focus on the job. Anyone can be there on Saturday. The more tickets sold, the better."