Joshua set for comeback fight in July

Anthony Joshua will enter the ring for the first time since December to fight Albania’s Kristian Prenga.

The fight is set to take place in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on July 25.

It will be Joshua’s first bout since he knocked out Jake Paul in an exhibition fight last year, and also represents a return to boxing since he was involved in a serious auto crash that claimed the lives of his two trainers.

Joshua, 36, confirmed the fight against Prenga, a former kickboxing champion with a 20-win, one-loss boxing record on his X, formerly Twitter, account.

All 20 wins of 35 years old Prenga have come by knockout, and he is on a 17-fight winning streak.

Similarly, Joshua’s promoter, Eddie Hearn, also confirmed that the “Battle of Britain” that will pit Joshua against Tyson Fury will become reality.

“Signed, sealed, delivered! AJ vs Fury is on!” Eddie Hearn said, and according to reports, the fight will be held in the last quarter of 2026.

Reacting to the double fght announcement, Joshua shared his delight returning to the ring for the fights as a testament of the rebuilding process he underwent after the accident on Lagos-Ibadan expressway.

“It’s no secret I’ve taken some time to consolidate and rebuild to be ready for stepping back into the ring and today is the next step on that journey.”

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

Joshua, former unified heavyweight boxing champion of Nigerian heritage and two-time world champions, has a boxing record of 29 wins and 4 losses, with 26 wins secured via knockout.