Joshua comes back twice to knock out Prenga and set up Fury showdown

Former two-time world champion Anthony Joshua recovered from two knockdowns to knock out Kristian Prenga in the second round of a dramatic non-title heavyweight fight in Saudi Arabia.

>The fight in Jeddah on Saturday was seen as the British boxer’s final step before setting up a long-awaited showdown against his compatriot Tyson Fury.

>It also marked his return to the ring for the first time since a horrific car crash in Nigeria in December, during which Joshua lost two of his best friends and sustained injuries.

Prenga, right, in action with Joshua [Ibraheem Abu Mustafa/Reuters]Back inside the ring, Joshua was floored by an uppercut inside 30 seconds. He beat the count but looked seriously shaken.

>Then Prenga knocked Joshua down again, but the former heavyweight champion rose before the end of the count and survived until the bell in the first round.

>A quick end to the fight was expected, but nobody thought it would be Prenga’s.

>In the second round, Joshua unleashed a flurry of punches and finished Prenga with a right hook, sending the Albanian through the bottom of the ropes.

>The turnaround shocked even heavyweight king Oleksandr Usyk, whose face was caught by TV cameras as he watched from ringside.

Joshua completed a stunning comeback win over Prenga [Ibraheem Abu Mustafa/Reuters]The comeback kept alive the possibility of an all-British fight between Joshua and Fury.

>Joshua’s manager Eddie Hearn claims his fighter and Fury have signed a contract to meet for the first time later this year, but on the condition that they come through warm-up bouts this weekend.

>“I hope the fans will be in for a lovely treat,” Joshua told the crowd about fighting Fury following his win over Prenga.

>Fury played his part by coming out of retirement this year and, on Friday, forcing 46-year-old Polish journeyman Mariusz Wach to retire in round seven in Pattaya, Thailand.

>Joshua almost blew his part of the claimed contract before showcasing his champion’s fightback spirit.

>Prenga brought a 20-1 fight record with 20 KOs into the match-up with Joshua and looked every bit the knockout artist.

>Joshua, fighting for the first time since surviving the car crash that killed his friends Sina Ghami and Latif ‘Latz’ Ayodele, acknowledged them straight after improving his fight record to 30-4 (27 KOs).

>“It’s more than punch power,” Joshua said of his knockout punch. “That was spirit. That was Latz and Sina. That was the family. You know what I mean? That hurts even talking about it.

>“He [Prenga] gave me a good test, but this is what champions do: we rise. We get knocked down and stand up. That is life; that is life’s motto.”

Joshua poses for a picture with his friends’ family, Latz and Sina, who died in a tragic car accident [Ibraheem Abu Mustafa/Reuters]