Anthony Joshua has secured a dramatic victory over Kristian Prenga, stopping the heavyweight challenger by knockout after a thrilling contest.
As reported by BBC Sport on Saturday, Joshua faced an early scare as Prenga came out aggressively and caught the former world champion with powerful punches in the opening round.
The Briton was knocked down twice, leaving fans stunned as Prenga looked to pull off a major upset.
However, Joshua recovered quickly and showed his experience, responding with relentless pressure and powerful combinations.
The former heavyweight champion turned the fight around and forced the stoppage in the second round.
He unleashed his right hand in the second round, with the final shot sending Albanian Prenga crashing down and forcing the referee to halt the contest.
“It’s more than punch power. That was spirit, that was Latz, that was Sina, that was the family. It hurts to even talk about it. It has been tough,” Joshua, 36, said.
He choked up and stepped away from the microphone, before adding: “It’s my brother. I don’t want to talk about it.”
There had been speculation fellow Briton Fury might make an appearance despite insisting he would not attend.
But the master of mind games stayed true to his word, with Fury nowhere to be seen barely 24 hours on from his own warm-up win over Mariusz Wach in Thailand.
“I respect everything he has done and everything that he has achieved, but as a fighting person, we’re here now. I hope the fans will be in for a lovely treat,” Joshua said about the prospect of fighting Fury.
Contracts have been signed, but the venue and date for a fight more than a decade in the making are still unknown.
This chaotic night, however, belonged to Joshua in a victory forged through adversity during the most difficult months of his life.
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