Anthony Joshua vs Kristian Prenga: Who Wins?

One of the most interesting storylines heading into this weekend is how former unified heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua (29-4, 26 KOs) will look against Kristian Prenga (20-1, 20 KOs) on Saturday night live from the Jeddah Superdome in Saudi Arabia, live on DAZN PPV.

The other story is how his potential future opponent, Tyson Fury, looks on Friday night in a fight that won’t be streamed anywhere and will be seen live only by those in attendance. Before Joshua vs. Fury can be announced, both men have to do their jobs and come out victorious. For this one, though, will it be a dominant victory for Joshua or an upset special by Prenga?

Which Version of Anthony Joshua Will We Get?

That’s the main question that can’t be answered until fight night. On December 29, he was a passenger in a vehicle involved in a car accident that led to the deaths of his two close friends. From the outside looking in, it appears the whole situation was devastating for Joshua, who took time away from everything to get his mind right. Seven months later, Joshua is just days away from fighting for the first time since the accident. Will he be the same guy, or has something changed? I think he’ll be just fine, but a small part of me fears that things may not go his way early on, which may affect the outcome of the fight.

How does Joshua win this fight? He just has to stick to boxing and lead with the left jab. Circling around Prenga while popping the left jab will frustrate his opponent, and when he comes in with his wide hooks, Joshua could land that big right uppercut. When on the inside, Joshua needs to work the body since Prenga likes to keep a high guard. One punch can hurt Prenga; two will knock him out.

Kristian Prenga Aims To Have A ‘Rocky’ Moment

The 35-year-old Prenga from Orosh, Albania, has won every fight by stoppage but has never faced anyone with Joshua’s credentials. He’s 35, and with most of his wins at the club level, it’s hard to imagine him beating Joshua. But we’ve seen this story play out in boxing before, right? The underdog that isn’t supposed to win pulls off the upset of the year. Does this happen on Saturday? If so, what does Prenga have to do to beat Joshua?

Prenga has to jump all over Joshua from the start of the bell and not allow him to get into any kind of rhythm. This could throw Joshua off and force him to fight in a way he’s not comfortable. After digging to the body early in the fight, Prenga could have an opportune moment to land his big right hand, and if he does, it could very well be the Andy Ruiz fight all over again.

Anthony Joshua vs. Kristian Prenga Prediction

I think Joshua will be vulnerable at the beginning of the fight, but by the sixth round, once he settles in, Prenga will be ready to go and he will finish him. Joshua by sixth-round TKO.

Anthony Joshua vs. Kristian Prenga Betting Odds

Per BETUS, Anthony Joshua is the favorite at -4000 and Kristian Prenga is the underdog at +1100.

Anthony Joshua: TKO/KO -835; Decision +750

Draw: +3300

Kristian Prenga: TKO/KO +1200; Decision +2800

Abraham Gonzalez

Abraham Gonzalez is a 2x award-winning writer, International Boxing Hall of Fame voter, founder and publisher of FightsATW. His journalistic work has been published and used across several platforms, including online, network TV, and promotional companies. He is an alumnus of an American Public University and a full member of the Boxing Writers Association of America (BWAA). Abraham was the Managing Editor for NYFights, Big Fight Weekend, and contributed to The Ring Magazine, FanSidedMMA, and ProBoxTV.

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