Former heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua has disclosed that his July 25, 2026, heavyweight clash against Kristian Prenga is not a simple tune-up or warm-up fight.
Despite being heavily favoured against the hard-hitting Albanian, Joshua has stressed that he is preparing to punch with malicious intentions to prove he remains a dangerous wrecking machine.
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Prenga enters the bout at the Jeddah Superdome in Saudi Arabia with a formidable 20-1 record, featuring 20 knockouts, and has openly stated his goal is to derail Joshua’s planned blockbuster showdown with Tyson Fury.
Nevertheless, Joshua remains focused on securing a statement victory.
“I don’t see it as a tune-up fight, and I don’t see it as the biggest challenge of my career. It’s a fight,” he told Combat Evolved.
“You’ve got to believe in yourself, man. I’m working hard, you’ve got to say how you feel. I want to win, I want to do what I’m supposed to do.
“It’s nothing personal against Prenga, it could be anyone. It’s not a warm-up fight, it’s someone I really want to beat and I want to do it in good fashion as well.
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“I want to go in there and showcase my skills. It’s what this camp is about, it’s about improving my skills, I want to go in there and show how good I am.
“Only God knows. I’m just working towards a victory, but predicting how that victory comes, I don’t have a clue. He used to be a kickboxer, not MMA, but he’s got a mixed martial arts background. He’s mixed a few different disciplines, kicking, punching, so we’ll see how that crosses over.”
