Kristian Prenga came close to knocking out Anthony Joshua and causing a showdown with Tyson Fury to collapse, only to then be stopped himself in round two. Now, the Albanian heavyweight has responded to suspicions that his clash with ‘AJ’ was somehow fixed.

The previously unknown Prenga caught Joshua clean and cold in the opening 20 seconds of their duel in Jeddah, dramatically flooring the two-time unified heavyweight world champion with a sneaky uppercut and then dropping the him for a second time just moments later.

Joshua managed to survive and negate the pressure of Prenga, who looked to be on the verge of a life-changing win.

Yet, in round two, Prenga’s momentum seemed to disintegrate, as the 35-year-old confusingly boxed on the back foot and allowed Joshua to take the centre of the ring, rather than continuing the attempted onslaught that had proved so successful in the opening round.

As a result, Joshua regained his confidence and soon made Prenga pay for his tactical blunder, mercilessly quashing any hopes of a fairytale win with a brutal three-punch combination to close the show.

In response, some fight fans have doubted the legitimacy of Prenga’s mistake and suggested that other forces may have been at play, with TalkSPORT’s Simon Jordan saying on social media that ‘something was not quite right’.

Not having that … #anthonyjoshua fight ..:

Dropped twice and sets the tempo, how’s that ? … Prenga totally different in 2nd

Something not quite right , all designed to rinse maximum amount of money …

— Simon Jordan (@Sjopinion10) July 25, 2026

In response, Kristian Prenga has hit back at the TalkSPORT host, explaining that his decision to slow down in round two was done to preserve his energy, as per SveaCasino.

“Simon Jordan’s fight fix comments are straight stupidity.

“What do I make of Simon Jordan’s comments? Completely false, and irresponsible for anyone to suggest it. AJ and I have integrity, we would never engage in this stupidity.

“I felt I needed to preserve energy and catch my breath, so I thought I would start slow and replenish my energy. Unfortunately, it didn’t happen, and that slower pace allowed AJ to flip control of the fight to him.”

Jordan has since cooled on his comments, saying he has changed his opinion after speaking to some knowledgeable people in the sport.

Joshua is now expected to proceed with a meeting against Fury in November at Madison Square Garden, with an official announcement anticipated imminently. Prenga will have another fight under Eddie Hearn’s Matchroom banner.

Oleksandr Usyk is planning on just one more fight before hanging up the gloves and sailing off into the sunset, and the Ukrainian icon has confirmed who he is targeting for his ‘last dance’ and why.

Usyk’s achievements at both cruiserweight and heavyweight have seen him recognised as one of boxing’s all-time greats, having joined Evander Holyfield as the second man to claim the undisputed title in both weight divisions.

However, against Rico Verhoeven back in May, the 39-year-old showed signs that perhaps he’s starting slowing down and was somewhat fortunate to avoid an astonishing upset as a controversial round 11 stoppage spared his blushes.

During the aftermath, Usyk announced his decision to vacate all three of his heavyweight world titles and to have one last dance before retirement, with former WBC heavyweight ruler Deontay Wilder deemed by many to be the frontrunner for the opposing corner.

In an interview with All Out FightingUsyk confirmed that ‘The Bronze Bomber’ is his targeted opponent because he is a ‘dangerous guy’.

“This is a man who, in the last 10 years, has been a top fighter, a world champion. It’s a dangerous guy.”

Despite the fact that Wilder has lost four of his last seven contests, Usyk was unbothered by the suggestion that the American’s recent form could see him not receive credit from the fans for defeating him at this point in his career.

“I am not boxing for glory. For me, it is just my life.”

Usyk vs Wilder could be set to take place in either December 2026 or early 2027, as the Ukrainian calls time on an illustrious career.

Ryan Garcia is set for a defence of his WBC welterweight world title, taking on Conor Benn in six weeks’ time. Now, pound-for-pound superstar Canelo Alvarez has revealed his prediction for the fight.

Benn was named as the WBC’s mandatory challenger earlier this year, despite having not fought at the weight since April 2022. Therefore, when Garcia dethroned Mario Barrios in February to claim the title, it seemed as though a meeting between the pair would inevitably come next.

Benn decided to first take part in a 150lb catchweight scrap with Regis Prograis, winning on points to allow him to push ahead with the title challenge.

It was confirmed earlier this month that Garcia vs. Benn will go ahead on September 12 – a notable date considering Garcia’s Latino heritage, with Mexican Independence Day being just four days later.

Mexican icon Canelo has fought in September for the last four years, but told The Ariel Helwani Show that he was happy for Garcia to take his slot following the postponement of his challenge for Christian Mbilli’s WBC super-middleweight world title.

“It’s very good [that he is fighting on that date]especially because I turned that date down now because I moved my fight. I think that he is good for fighting on that date. I think that he is the correct person to do it and the fight deserves that day.”

When discussing the fight itself, Canelo admitted that he is favouring his former stablemate, believing that Garcia is capable of beating anyone on his day.

“I like Ryan, he is very talented. When he is focussed, he can beat everybody.

“I know Conor too and I like Conor too, but I think that Ryan is a special fighter.”

Garcia-Benn will be staged at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, with undefeated cruiserweight Jai Opetaia expected to compete in the co-main event of the bill.