‎Kristian Prenga has admitted that Anthony Joshua’s punching power proved too much for him in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, after suffering the first knockdown of his career before being stopped in the second round of their heavyweight contest.

‎Prenga floored Joshua twice with a right uppercut in the opening round of the fight, but the British-Nigerian recovered from the knockdowns and went on to stop the Albanian in the second round.

‎Speaking with boxing journalist Tris Dixon after the fight, Prenga gave Joshua full credit for the stoppage.

‎“Of course, it’s power because it’s the first time I got knocked down in my career, in my life. I’ve never been knocked down in sparring. It’s the first time. I think he has the power,” he said.

‎The 35-year-old Albanian, who entered the bout with a 20-1 record, gave Joshua an early scare when he landed the uppercut, but Joshua recovered and responded with a stoppage in the second round.

‎Prenga’s most notable victory before the Joshua fight had come against Joey Dawejko in 2024, a contest he won by stoppage after Dawejko withdrew with a shoulder injury. The bout with Joshua therefore represented a significant step up in competition and attention for the Albanian.

‎Joshua, for his part, dedicated the victory to the memory of two close friends and members of his team, Sina Ghami and Latif “Latz” Ayodele, who were killed in a car crash in Nigeria in December.

‎“It is 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. They are my brothers,” Joshua said in the ring after the fight.