'He'll go right through this guy' - Joshua v Prenga predictions

To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. This video can not be played Figure caption, You can be a hero or a coward. I'm trying to be the hero - Joshua Published 25 July 2026, 07:12 BST Anthony Joshua returns to the ring on Saturday against the relatively unknown Kristian Prenga in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, knowing that victory would set up a long-awaited showdown with Tyson Fury. Joshua, a two-time world champion and Olympic gold medallist, has won 29 fights - 26 by stoppage - and lost four. Albanian Prenga enters the fight with an impressive record of his own, having achieved all of his 20 victories with stoppages while suffering only one defeat. However, the 35-year-old has never faced anyone close to Joshua's level. Joshua v Prenga - all you need to know After Fury comfortably dispatched Polish veteran Mariusz Wach in Thailand on Friday, can Joshua can come through his own warm-up bout? This will be Joshua's first fight since he was involved in a car crash in Nigeria that claimed the lives of two close friends, Sina Ghami and Latif 'Latz' Ayodele. The Fury-Joshua fight has been a decade in the making. Contracts have been signed, with the blockbuster bout expected to take place later this year. But could Prenga spoil the party and pull off a huge shock to go down in boxing history as the man who got in the way of Joshua-Fury happening? Radio commentary from Jeddah will begin from about 20:30 BST on BBC Radio 5 Live , BBC Sounds, and the BBC Sport website and app. Live text commentary will begin at 19:30 on the BBC Sport website and app. BBC Sport spoke to figures from the boxing world to get their predictions for Saturday's fight. What information do we collect from this quiz? Natasha Jonas - former two-weight world champion "I think AJ will win by a stoppage late. He has to be careful at the beginning of the fight because a lot of Prenga's stoppages have come in the first couple of rounds - he rarely goes past six rounds, so that's uncharted territory." Prediction - Joshua Carl Frampton - former two-weight world champion "I think AJ will have a look in the first round but it will be over round three or four. I think he'll go right though this guy. I hope he does and we see him and Fury." Prediction - Joshua Ready to 'conquer Earth' - Joshua embraces comeback spotlight Published 1 day ago Joshua v Prenga - all you need to know Published 4 days ago Josh Kelly - IBF light-middleweight world champion "Joshua coming back from what he has is a testament to himself. His attitude and mental resilience. I haven't seen much of Prenga, but I've heard he's a tough guy. If the right Anthony Joshua goes out there and performs, he's a hard night for anyone. If he goes out and performs, he can put anyone on their back. He needs to not overthink. Do your job, get in and get out." Prediction - Joshua Adam Smith - DAZN commentator "Obviously it's been an incredibly difficult time for AJ but he seems mentally and physically in a good place,