This part is settled. The contract is already in force, and the date has been set for the end of 2026. Everything is currently underway in Riyad until July 25.

“To my friends in the UK – it’s happening. It’s signed,” Turki Alalshikh said.

It is not yet known what Joshua’s next fight will be. He still has to go through Prenga in Riyad and come out neat. No cuts, no knockdowns. That’s how these fights fall apart. Not in boardrooms, but in the ring.

Fury (35-2-1) has already taken care of his team. He came back, dealt with Arslanbek Makhmudov and managed the rounds without taking a penalty. He looks like a guy who can still go twelve rounds and still concede a draw when he needs to.

Joshua (29-4) is in a different place.

✅ TRANSACTION COMPLETED ✅

🥊 Tyson Fury vs. Anthony Joshua
📆Q4 2026
📺 Netflix pic.twitter.com/tgxb9VDMQB

— Ring Magazine (@ringmagazine) April 27, 2026

He has had fits, but not against ones that test him under pressure. The loss of Dubois still exists. As the pace slowed and the punches returned, his form faltered and he stayed in range for too long. Something like this can’t happen again without a signed contract.

This time the business side moved first. Turki Alalshikh said straight: “It’s signed,” and Fury supported it. No more delays and shifting dates.

Now all that’s left is execution.

Fury will provide size, clinch work and consistent pace over the distance. Joshua will need excellent timing, a powerful base and a willingness to put his hands down when the opening comes.

The deal is real. July 25 will decide whether this fight stays on track.

Anthony Joshua’s next opponent has a perfect knockout rate on paper, but a closer look at that record raises immediate questions about what that number actually means.

Putting this fight under the WBN lens, Kristian Prenga had 20 stoppages for a total of 196 losses, a figure that outshines much of the luster of his undefeated KO streak and was portrayed as a threat in Matchroom’s recent announcement.

On the surface, the numbers suggest danger. In reality, the double-digit number of stoppages masks careful selection and controlled progression, rather than a proven test at the level at which Joshua has operated for the better part of a decade.

This becomes clearer when we look at one of the first blemishes on Prenga’s record.

Early failure in context

Prenga’s lone defeat came in just his fifth professional appearance, an eight-round decision to Dutchman Giovanni Auriemma in Steenwijk. Complaints about a hometown decision pale in comparison to a player whose story tells a story of its own.

Auriemma finished with a modest 2-6-2 record and no knockout victories in ten fights, playing mostly at the grassroots level and struggling to make an impact beyond it.

His victory over Prenga stands out from the rest of his resume, which largely consists of losses and draws against similarly modest opponents.

This is not an interpretation of Prengi’s current abilities. It just shows the record and the fact that he failed to knock out a journeyman in 24 minutes of action.

Record under a microscope

When these details are paired with Prengi’s streak of early finishes, a bigger picture quickly emerges.

A fighter with a 100% KO rate, one whose opponents have suffered 196 defeats and whose only defeat came after a 1-2 victory, belongs to a very specific category.

This happens more often than it should. But that explains why the reaction to this fight was what it is.

Fans on social media called the fight a “waste of time” and used offensive terms, with one fan even stating that he would prefer to watch the rematch with Jake Paul on July 25 in Riyad.

Joshua is in no unknown danger. It will be matched to a player who has been brought in in a way that minimizes risk and maximizes appearance.

This distinction matters. Prenga was blown up after an impressive 20 wins and 20 KOs. But this isn’t a test – it’s a formality disguised as one.

If you look at it, opportunity is the problem because it’s the type of contract and headlining gig that boxers break their records for and why there are so many guarded records in this sport.

To give US and UK viewers a point of reference, Prenga can be compared to Christopher Lovejoy. Lovejoy eventually strengthened after amassing 19 KOs from 19 fights, but was pummeled by Manuel Charr in two uncomfortable rounds.

Lovejoy’s record today is 20-3-1, with every fight outside of Mexico ending in a failed attempt at victory.

Toasty-up under control

It’s understandable for Joshua to want to composed down after the trauma of what he went through.

But it comes down to what could have been staged in the gym as a warm-up, without dressing up as the hit of the season in Riyad. This is not.

This is just another event in Saudi Arabia’s portfolio, and likely fits into commitments to DAZN and Turki Alalshikh’s broader schedule.

Joshua’s fight immediately aired on Netflix after appearing there in December. It probably went over the edge in terms of formality, leaving fans to deal with the mess that was left as usual.

What we get now is more waiting. Potentially another eight months leading up to the December fight with Tyson Fury, which will hopefully land him where he belongs – in the British Isles.

If the current direction points to a different pre-Christmas date in the Riyad season, the reaction of British fans will be predictable, even with the promise of a rematch at Wembley.

Choosing your opponent

When it comes to Prenga, the less said about this choice, the better.

The Albanian has one notable win against Joey Dawejko, whose name Joshua knows well from sparring before the fight with Andy Ruiz Jr. in Recent York.

Plus, the comparison becomes harder to ignore and only prolongs the disappointment felt after a decade-long wait for a British superfight hanging in the balance.

Joshua is effectively returning to the level of opposition he faced before his fight with Dillian Whyte in 2015, when his early streak was based on quick finishes and narrow resistance.

At this stage, no one had lasted three rounds with Joshua as he bulldozed his way through opponents such as Gary Cornish at the O2 Arena.

Should Prenga be expected to beat this three-round benchmark – probably not.

About the author

Phil Jay is the editor-in-chief of World Boxing News (WBN) and a boxing veteran with over 15 years of experience. Read the full biography.

Anthony Joshua’s next opponent has been revealed ahead of his fight with Tyson Fury scheduled for later this year.

Joshua and Fury have been on a collision course for almost a decade and it seemed their fight would finally be confirmed after “The Gypsy King” defeated Arslanbek Makhmudov at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London earlier this month.

An exchange with Joshua then ensued, but ‘AJ’ stood his ground when his team insisted there would likely be a warm-up fight before facing Fury.

Joshua’s last fight was in December when he defeated YouTuber-turned-boxer Jake Paul, but before that his last fight against a legal opponent was in September 2024 when he was knocked out by Daniel Dubois in an IBF heavyweight title fight.

“AJ” was also involved in a tragic car accident just weeks after his fight with Paul, which sadly claimed the lives of two of his close friends, so it is clear why he preferred the next fight to be a warm-up to best prepare for Fury.

A warm-up opponent has now been confirmed following the announcement that Joshua will face relatively unknown Kristian Prenga on July 25 in Riyad, Saudi Arabia.

BACK 👊@anthonyjoshua fight with Kristian Prenga (20-1, 20 KO) on July 25 in Riyad!

Locked in for a great year 2026 👀#JoshuaPrenga survive @DAZNBoxingpic.twitter.com/SGOENuAflb

— Boxing at Matchroom (@MatchroomBoxing) April 27, 2026

Prenga has a 100% knockout record and all 20 of his wins have come within the distance, but the type of opponents he has faced throughout his career are at a level below Joshua’s.

In 2017, in his fifth professional fight, he suffered a 1-2 loss to opponent Giovanni Auriemma, but since then he has won all 16 fights, the last one coming in February, when he knocked out Joe Jones in the first round 16-14-1.

Nevertheless, Joshua is expected to win comfortably before he begins preparing for his long-awaited showdown with Fury, although it has now been reported that ‘The Gypsy King’ could have another warm-up fight of his own.