Anthony Joshua has made weight for his imminent clash with Kristian Prenga on Saturday in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
Fighting for the first time since a tragic car accident in Nigeria that killed his two friends Sina Ghami and Kevin Ayodele, ‘AJ’ is expected to overcome the Albanian before facing Tyson Fury later this year.
Fury has already held up his end of the bargain, stopping 46-year-old Mariusz Wach after seven rounds in his Thailand warm-up fight on Friday hours before Joshua and Prenga made weight.
Last time out, Joshua weighed in at 243.5lbs for his sixth-round knockout of YouTuber-turned-boxer Jake Paul — the lightest he’d been since boxing Oleksandr Usyk in 2021
Before that, Joshua tipped the scales at 252.5lbs ahead of his KO loss to Daniel Dubois at Wembley Stadium in September 2024.
The British heavyweight star has never come in at higher than the 255.4lbs he weighed before claiming a unanimous decision over Jermaine Franklin Jr three years ago.
He’s also never weighed in lighter than the 229lbs he fought Hrvoje Kisicek at in just his third professional outing 13 years ago.
Joshua lighter than Prenga
Hitting the scales at Jeddah Promenade on Friday, Joshua weighed in at 251lbs for his contest with Prenga.
“We’re feeling good,” Joshua said before hyping up the crowd.
“Tomorrow, from the undercard to the main event, we appreciate all the support.”
Promoter Eddie Hearn added: “The work is done. This isn’t going to be easy.
“Prenga has the whole country behind him by the sound of things. We know what comes on the other side.
3
“I expect and I hope we get a performance that shows everything that he’s put into this training camp.
“AJ in three rounds.”
Prenga, meanwhile, tipped the scales at 261.4lbs, having come in at just over 264lbs for his last appearance — a first-round KO of American journeyman Joe Jones in Atlantic City.
“I’m just thinking I’m going to knock Joshua out,” Prenga said.
“I’m ready for everything. My Albanian fans are my army. You can’t go into war with no army.
“This is where my power comes from.”
3
Joshua: I have so many mountains to climb
Speaking to talkSPORT during fight week, Joshua explained how he is using the memories of Ghami and Ayodele as motivation for his fight with Prenga.
“Obviously, it’s been very tough,” the 36-year-old explained.
“The guys were always part of my life. I always live for them anyway. They are part of my DNA.
“But all of my team play a big part in supporting as it is an emotional time.
“It hurts even thinking about it. But if I put my personal life to one side, I just want to get better as a fighter.
“I still think I have so many mountains to climb, which keeps me busy in the gym.”
Joshua joined former undisputed heavyweight champion Usyk’s team in Valencia, Spain, for a training camp to prepare for Prenga.
Usyk is backing ‘AJ’ to become the next undisputed heavyweight champion of the world.
Watch Boxing on DAZN
*If you click a link in this boxout, we will earn affiliate revenue
Sign up to DAZN to access the definitive subscription for boxing fans.
Upgrade to DAZN Ultimate from just £24.99/month, guaranteeing access to 185+ fights annually, a minimum of 12 pay-per-views at no extra cost, as well as every Lega Serie A match and other elite football access.
Alternatively, DAZN Standard is just £15.99/month, with the caveat you will have to pay for pay-per-view events.
