Nigerian-British boxer Anthony Joshua recovered from an early scare to stop Albanian fighter Kristian Prenga with a second-round knockout in Jeddah, surviving two knockdowns inside the opening moments of the bout.
Joshua was floored within 20 seconds after a powerful uppercut and endured a difficult first round as Prenga threatened a major upset.
However, the former heavyweight champion responded with decisive right hands that ended the contest in the second round during his first fight since the December car crash that claimed the lives of his friends and team members, Sina Ghami and Latif “Latz” Ayodele.
An emotional Joshua dedicated the victory to the deceased, saying, “It’s more than punch power. That was spirit, that was Latz, that was Sina, that was the families.”
The victory keeps Joshua on course for a potential heavyweight showdown with British rival Tyson Fury later this year.