The real explanation behind Anthony Joshua’s no-name opponent before Tyson Fury fight

Others might point to a spring night in New York city in 2019, when Joshua’s career took a permanent turn as he was stunned by Andy Ruiz Jr, yet that defeat cost fans AJ vs Wilder – not AJ vs Fury. Furthermore, Ruiz Jr was actually a known quantity to those embedded in boxing. He was a top-15 heavyweight, recognised for his speed in particular.

Prenga, though? It’s not an exaggeration to say many figures in the boxing sphere had not heard of him before Monday, this writer included. Don’t take that as a reflection of journalistic credibility, but rather as testament to the unknown quantity that the Prenga is.

He is 35 years old and has a 20-1 record, including 20 KO wins. On the face of it, that is a good record, yet the Albanian – who resides in New Jersey – has fought no one of note. In his last bout, in Atlantic City in February, he stopped a Joe Jones (16-4-1) in the first round at the Showboat Hotel & Casino.

Kristian Prenga (pictured) has a 20-1 record, including 20 KO wins (Getty)

At this point, as you look ahead to Joshua vs Prenga and Joshua vs Fury (the latter of which is still without a date and location, although autumn in the UK is likely), the state of play is likelier to get your eyebrows raising than your heart rate.

Yes, we are accustomed to tune-up fights in all divisions, and both Joshua and Fury have had their share before, but Prenga – you might argue – represents a new low. Probably, yes, but this article exists to assure you: that’s okay.

Really. After years of failed talks, the priority now must be to preserve Joshua vs Fury. If that means feeding Prenga to Joshua, then so be it.

Before fighting Fury, 37, a 36-year-old AJ just needs to feel he has recently shared the ring with a professional heavyweight – if not an elite one – given his last bout saw him chase a hesitant Jake Paul around the ring for six rounds before bullying the YouTuber into submission, and given his previous fight was a one-sided loss to Daniel Dubois in 2024. Not to mention that Joshua’s bout with Paul preceded his car crash in Nigeria by just 10 days, as AJ saw two of his close friends killed.

Joshua was able to pin down an elusive Jake Paul in the sixth round and secure a TKO (Getty)

Of course Joshua vs Prenga is primarily about the Briton winning – and there may still be fears of a cut or injury to scupper this fight and the one with Fury – but there is a secondary explanation.

It is also about Joshua ideally crumpling his opponent and entering the Fury fight feeling like a force to be reckoned with. So much of Joshua’s career has seemingly been dictated by his mental state or perhaps a tendency to overthink, and these factors must be removed before he boxes Fury; if he goes in feeling like the most-devastating puncher in the sport, he increases his chances of knocking the “Gypsy King” off his makeshift throne.

As Hearn put it last week, “All you’ve got to do is bite your fingernails in July for 36 minutes or less, and you’ve got not the fight of the century, the fight of all-time.”

Now that we know Joshua will be boxing Prenga, there may not even be a need for nail biting. Hopefully, you can simply tune in and see what made Joshua so captivating in the first place – and see him set up the biggest British fight of a generation.