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Add FightsATW on GoogleAnthony Joshua proved that he truly is “the landlord,” as his hard stance and refusal to get in the ring with Tyson Fury a few weeks ago actually paid off.
On Monday, Ring Magazine announced that Joshua (29-4, 26 KOs) has signed a multi-fight deal with Riyadh Season and will make his much-anticipated return to the ring on July 25 against Kristian Prenga (20-1, 20 KOs), live on DAZN. The other part of that deal is an all-British showdown with Tyson Fury in the fourth quarter of this year.
The 36-year-old Joshua didn’t want to tease fans with a face-off when Fury asked him to go to the ring on Netflix, as the fight deal hadn’t been finalized. At that moment, it felt like Joshua was being pressured to do something he wasn’t comfortable with, especially since the fight had been verbally agreed to in the past but couldn’t get across the finish line. Now it appears all of that has been taken care of, and he must first get by Prenga before setting his sights on Fury.
Joshua had this to say in a press release: “It’s no secret I’ve taken some time to consolidate and rebuild to be ready for stepping back in to the ring, and today is the next step on that journey.”
“I’m delighted to have agreed a multi fight deal starting with July 25th in the kingdom of Saudi Arabia. I’m looking forward to competing and picking up where I left off.
“As I said. The landlord will collect his rent. That is certain.”
Joshua’s opponent in July is 35-year-old Prenga from Orosh, Albania, who resides in New Jersey. He has a perfect knockout ratio, but hasn’t fought anyone at Joshua’s level. Prenga believes Joshua and his team are overlooking him and had this to say:
“Anthony Joshua is a great fighter, but he made a terrible miscalculation in picking me as his opponent.
“This is the kind of fight that changes everything in my life and his. I know they have big plans ahead after this fight.
“I know they are overlooking me. I’m happy about that. I will derail their plans and shock the world this July in Saudi Arabia.”
With Joshua’s next two fights now set, the boxing schedule for the second half of the year is beginning to take shape nicely. Barring anything crazy, like a knockout of Joshua or a bad cut, we will finally get Joshua vs. Fury in 2025.
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