Albanian heavyweight Kristian Prenga has dismissed claims that his dramatic knockout defeat to Anthony Joshua was fixed, describing the allegations as “completely false” following their fight in Saudi Arabia.
- +Prenga slams ‘fixed fight’ claims after dramatic Anthony Joshua knockout defeat
- +“AJ and I have integrity; we would never engage in this stupidity.”
Prenga was responding to comments by talkSPORT pundit Simon Jordan, who questioned the nature of the contest after the Albanian floored Joshua twice in the opening round before being stopped in the second.
Prenga was responding to comments by talkSPORT pundit Simon Jordan, who questioned the nature of the contest after the Albanian floored Joshua twice in the opening round before being stopped in the second.
Jordan had suggested on social media that Prenga’s sudden drop in intensity raised suspicions.
“Not having that [in the] Anthony Joshua fight. Dropped twice and sets the tempo; how’s that? Prenga is totally different in the second [round]. Something is not quite right; it’s all designed to raise the maximum amount of money,” Jordan wrote.
However, Prenga firmly rejected the suggestion, insisting both fighters competed with integrity.
“What do I make of Simon Jordan’s comments? “Completely false and irresponsible for anyone to suggest it,” Prenga told SveaCasino.
“AJ and I have integrity; we would never engage in this stupidity.”
Prenga explained that his reduced aggression in the second round was a tactical decision after expending significant energy during the opening three minutes.
The Albanian had stunned Joshua by knocking him down just 20 seconds into the contest before sending the British heavyweight to the canvas again later in the first round, threatening to derail Joshua’s long-anticipated showdown with Tyson Fury.
Despite dominating the opening round, Prenga said he deliberately eased his pace to recover.
“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.”
His explanation aligns with instructions from his corner between rounds, where his team advised him against rushing into exchanges early in the second round.
The tactical gamble proved costly as Joshua seized control of the fight in the second round.
The former world heavyweight champion landed a series of powerful right hands before producing the decisive finish, knocking Prenga to the canvas and forcing the referee to stop the contest.
The victory marked Anthony Joshua’s first fight since surviving the December car crash in Nigeria that claimed the lives of his close friends Sina Ghami and Latif “Latz” Ayodele.
Speaking after the fight, the emotional 36-year-old credited his resilience to the memory of his late friends.
“It’s more than punch power. That was Spirit, that was Latz, that was Sina, that was the families. It hurts to even talk about it. It has been tough,” Joshua said.
Joshua’s dramatic comeback kept alive expectations of a long-awaited all-British heavyweight clash with Tyson Fury after overcoming one of the biggest scares of his professional career.
