Joshua Announces First Fight After Fatal Crash

Former heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua will make his ring return following a fatal car crash against unheralded Kristian Prenga in Saudi Arabia in July.

Two of Joshua’s close friends were killed in the crash in Nigeria in December, just over a week after his last fight, a fifth-round knockout of YouTube star Jake Paul.

The 36-year-old Briton has been in talks to face his great domestic rival, Tyson Fury, later this year in a bout that many observers feel is at least five years overdue.

“It’s no secret I’ve taken some time to consolidate and rebuild to be ready for stepping back into the ring, and this is the next step on that journey,” Joshua said in announcing the July 25 bout in Riyadh, according to a report by supersport.com.

Shortly before the announcement, Saudi Arabia’s boxing powerbroker Turki Alalshikh suggested on social media that Joshua’s fight with Fury had been agreed.

“To my friends in Great Britain – it’s happening. It’s signed,” said Alalshikh, with Ring Magazine reporting that the British rivals would collide in the fourth quarter of the year.

First up for Joshua is 35-year-old Prenga, who has 20 wins – all by knock-out – in his 21 fights as a professional, although he has yet to face an opponent anywhere near the Briton’s class.