Anthony Joshua climbed off the canvas twice in the opening round to stop Kristian Prenga in the second, winning by technical knockout — a TKO, where the referee steps in to halt the fight before a fighter is knocked out cold — in his comeback bout at the Jeddah Superdome on 25 July 2026. (Reuters, BBC Sport)

The Albanian challenger came to swing. Prenga caught the former heavyweight world champion with early shots that put Joshua down not once but twice in the first three minutes. For a man who has rebuilt his career several times over, staring at a second-round exit on a card branded "The Comeback" was the cruellest possible opening chapter. (Reuters, GEA)

Joshua steadied himself, found his range, and turned the momentum with devastating speed. The second round was all his. Prenga had no answer once the distance closed and the combinations started landing clean, and the fight was waved off before it could reach a third. (BBC Sport)

Saudi Arabia has become the sport's preferred grand stage, and this event leaned fully into the billing. Promoted by His Excellency Turki Alalshikh, the Chairman of Saudi Arabia's General Entertainment Authority, the fight formed part of Jeddah Season in association with Riyadh Season and aired live worldwide on DAZN. (Matchroom Boxing, GEA, Matchroom Boxing)

The undercard carried its own weight. Two world title fights sat beneath the main event — Hamzah Sheeraz against Simon Zachenhuber, and Josh Kelly against Caoimhin Agyarko — giving the Jeddah Superdome a full night of meaningful championship action rather than a single headline surrounded by filler. (Matchroom Boxing)

Prenga had warned everyone who would listen. Before the fight, he said Joshua had "made a terrible miscalculation" in picking him as an opponent. For roughly one round, that bravado looked dangerously close to prophecy. (Matchroom Boxing)

The win matters not just as a result but as a signpost. It keeps Joshua on course for a future meeting with Tyson Fury — the all-British heavyweight showdown that has hovered over the sport for years and has never quite materialised. Whether the early knockdowns were a momentary scare or a sign of vulnerability Fury's team will note is a question for another night. (BBC Sport)

For now, Joshua's comeback has its result. Two knockdowns survived, one opponent stopped, and the road to Fury still open.