Anthony Joshua vs Kristian Prenga: everything you need to know

Anthony Joshua returns to the ring on Saturday, July 25, 2026, when he faces Kristian Prenga in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, in a non-title, 12-round heavyweight contest. It is the final scheduled step before a long-awaited fight with Tyson Fury, and the level gap between the two heavyweights shows up clearly in the betting markets. The Joshua vs Prenga odds have Joshua as one of the shortest-priced favourites of his career, with Prenga out at long odds by comparison.

The comeback story

This is Joshua’s first fight since he stopped Jake Paul in the sixth round in Miami on December 19, 2025, a win that broke the American’s jaw. Ten days later, Joshua was involved in a car crash in Nigeria that killed two members of his team. He stepped away from the sport afterwards before returning to camp, and Prenga is the first opponent he faces since.

How to watch

The fight streams worldwide on DAZN pay-per-view, promoted by Matchroom Boxing. Main event ringwalks are expected late in the evening UK time, given the three-hour gap to Saudi Arabia, though the full supporting bill has not yet been finalised.

Joshua’s record and preparation

Joshua, 36, carries a record of 29 wins, four defeats, and 26 knockouts into the fight. He stands at 6ft 6in, a physical tool that helped him win the world heavyweight title on two separate occasions. He has also been training alongside Oleksandr Usyk in the build-up, a sign that his team are treating the comeback seriously despite the gap in opposition.

Who is Kristian Prenga

Prenga is a far less familiar name to British fans. Born in Orosh, Albania and based in New Jersey, he has won all 20 of his professional fights inside the distance. His only defeat came on points in 2017, early in his career, against a fighter who held a modest 1-2 record at the time. That perfect stoppage rate is the one number Prenga’s camp keeps pointing to ahead of fight night.

What’s at stake

Beating Prenga keeps Joshua’s roadmap on track. He currently holds top-six rankings with all four governing bodies, and a routine win keeps that position intact while the Fury fight, reportedly pencilled in for the final three months of 2026 in the UK, gets finalised. A slip against a heavy underdog would force promoters back to the drawing board and raise fresh questions about Joshua’s career at 36.

How the odds look

That gulf in stakes is reflected across boxing betting markets generally, where heavyweight comeback fights against unheralded opponents tend to draw a short-priced favourite and a distant outsider. Joshua’s promoter Eddie Hearn has been open about expecting a stoppage win inside the distance, while Prenga’s team have talked up his knockout ratio as the one variable that could change the outcome.

What to watch for

Twenty knockouts from twenty wins is a real record, whatever the level of opposition. Joshua has been caught cold by a single clean shot before, against Andy Ruiz Jr. Riyadh will show whether the ring rust has gone or whether Prenga’s power gives him more of a puzzle than his record suggests.