Joshua dedicates comeback win to late friends

Anthony Joshua survived two first-round knockdowns to stop Kristian Prenga in the second round on Sunday, dedicating his comeback victory to his late trainers, Latif “Latz” Ayodele and Sina Ghami.

The bout, held at the Jeddah Superdome, was Joshua’s first fight since a car crash in Nigeria in December killed Ayodele, his personal trainer, and Ghami, his strength and conditioning coach.

Joshua entered the ring in camouflage gear bearing both men’s names.

Prenga rocked the two-time world champion twice within the first three minutes, but Joshua recovered to dominate the rest of the fight, eventually forcing a stoppage in round two.

“It’s what champions do. We rise, we get knocked down, and we stand up and keep going. That’s life,” Joshua said after the fight. “It was more than punch power. That was spirit, that was Latz, that was Sina and their families. It still hurts to talk about it. It’s been tough.”

His promoter, Eddie Hearn, said the win was remarkable given what Joshua had endured.

Hearn also confirmed contracts have been signed for Joshua’s long-mooted clash with Tyson Fury, though a date and venue are yet to be fixed. Fury, who beat 46-year-old Mariusz Wach in Thailand on Friday, skipped Joshua’s fight and returned to the Isle of Man after his own bout.

Joshua said he was ready for the Fury fight.

“I respect everything he has achieved, but this is the fight we’ve been calling for, and now we’re here. I hope the fans will enjoy it,” he said. “I’ve learnt that I can’t be stopped, I won’t be denied, and we’re coming.”

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