Former boxing world champion Anthony Joshua is set to return to the ring on July 25th in Riyadh.
According to announcements made by the promoters of the ex-Klitschko conqueror on Monday, the British boxer will face Albanian opponent Kristian Prenga seven months after a serious car accident. This bout is intended as a preparatory fight for the highly anticipated and now officially confirmed heavyweight showdown against Tyson Fury.
Joshua’s last professional fight was a knockout victory against influencer Jake Paul on December 19th of last year. Just days later, the 36-year-old was involved in a car accident in Nigeria that claimed the lives of two friends. Joshua himself sustained only minor injuries. He has recently been training again, notably with heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk.
«It’s no secret that I’ve taken time to rebuild and strengthen myself, so I’m ready to return to the ring, and this is the next step on that journey,» said Joshua, who boasts 29 wins from 33 professional fights. «I’m looking forward to getting back into competition and picking up right where I left off.»
Joshua is working towards the Fury fight, which is tentatively scheduled for November. An official confirmation of the «Battle of Britain» was also provided by Joshua’s promoter, Eddie Hearn, on Monday. «Signed, sealed, delivered! AJ vs Fury is a done deal!» Hearn wrote on Instagram. Ex-champ Fury himself made his comeback just over two weeks ago with a points victory against Russian Arslanbek Makhmudov. Joshua was present at the event in London.
Joshua’s career has experienced significant setbacks in recent years. He lost his world championship belts to Usyk in 2021. After being defeated by the Ukrainian again in the rematch the following year, he missed another title opportunity in 2024 due to a devastating knockout loss against Daniel Dubois. Since then, the man who sent Wladimir Klitschko into boxing retirement in 2017 has been striving for what may be a final chance at a world championship fight.