Anthony Joshua to make boxing return against Kristian Prenga in July

Anthony Joshua will face Kristian Prenga in Riyadh on July 25 in what is expected to be his warm-up fight for a long-awaited clash with Tyson Fury.

It will be Joshua’s first bout since he was involved in a car crash in Nigeria in December that killed two close friends and his first appearance since knocking out YouTube star Jake Paul the same month.

All 20 of Albanian heavyweight Prenga’s wins have come by knockout, but he has yet to face an opponent in Joshua’s class.

Shortly before Prenga was announced as Joshua’s opponent, Saudi Arabia’s boxing powerbroker Turki Alalshikh suggested on social media that his fight with Fury had been agreed.

“To my friends in Great Britain – it’s happening. It’s signed,” said Alalshikh, with Ring Magazine reporting that the British rivals would collide in the fourth quarter of the year.

Joshua’s last meaningful fight was against Daniel Dubois in 2024 when he was counted out in the fifth round.

The 36-year-old underwent elbow surgery and also had a shoulder injury, preventing him from returning to the ring until his comeback meeting with Paul in Miami.

“I’m delighted to have agreed a multi-fight deal starting with July 25 in the kingdom of Saudi Arabia,” Joshua said.

“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.”