Former heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua has said he is drawing strength from personal tragedy as he prepares for his return to the ring against Albanian boxer Kristian Prenga on July 25 in Riyadh.
Joshua has not fought since a December car crash in Nigeria in which two of his close friends, Sina Ghami and Latif “Latz” Ayodele, lost their lives. The boxer, who was a passenger in the vehicle, escaped with minor injuries.
Speaking on the 5 Live Boxing podcast, the 36-year-old said the experience has reshaped his outlook on life and responsibility.
“You never overcome it, but you gain perspective in life,” Joshua said. “Life is humbling. You never know one’s fate.”
He added that his priority at the moment is supporting the families of the deceased friends, noting that he will fully process his grief later.
At a London press event where he met Prenga face-to-face for the first time, Joshua insisted he remains fully focused on his career goals, including a potential long-awaited showdown with Tyson Fury later in the year, should he defeat Prenga.
Promoter Eddie Hearn revealed that Joshua had originally mapped out an active 2026 schedule, which was disrupted by the crash. He said plans had included bouts against Rico Verhoeven in March and Fury in August.
Joshua, however, says he is now fully locked in again.
“I’ve still got that fire and I belong here,” he said. “I don’t do this as a joke. I do this because it’s what I’m good at.”
He also credited time spent training alongside former rival and current gym partner Oleksandr Usyk for improving his boxing intelligence, defence, and fitness.
Prenga enters the bout with a record of 20 wins, all by stoppage, and one defeat. Despite being a heavy underdog, he insists he is ready to cause an upset, saying he is training harder than ever and intends to “shock the world.”
The two fighters ended their press interaction with a tense face-off that later turned cordial, concluding with a handshake after exchanging brief remarks about mutual respect and expectations for the fight.
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