Eddie Hearn shares what Anthony Joshua did that caused worry before his fight with Kristian Prenga
Eddie Hearn shared what Anthony Joshua did in the locker room that raised some worries before his fight with Kristian Prenga.
Seven months after surviving a serious car crash in Nigeria, Joshua stepped back into the ring on Saturday night to face Prenga. He was the clear favorite to win against the Albanian, knowing that a victory in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, would set up his much-anticipated fight with Tyson Fury.
Just a day before, on July 24, Fury easily beat Matiusz Wach in a quiet, non-televised fight in Thailand, winning by TKO in the seventh round. Joshua wanted to have a smooth fight like that and avoid any trouble, but just 20 seconds in, he almost suffered a shocking loss. Prenga stunned him with a huge uppercut and knocked him down twice in the first round.
Despite looking shaken, the two-time heavyweight champ came back strong in round two, landing a solid jab followed by a final blow that sent Prenga to the mat.
A big fight with Fury seemed at risk before Joshua pulled off the knockout, and Hearn admitted he worried Joshua might have come back too soon.
“To be honest, this week I kept thinking, ‘Did we rush his comeback?’ I could see in the locker room he wasn’t himself during the intro,” said the Matchroom Boxing boss. “I started wondering if we made a mistake. Boxing helped him deal with his grief, but was he really ready to fight again? I even thought it might be over.”
Having worked with Joshua for 13 years, Hearn could tell he wasn’t fully ready and feared that the Fury fight might be off after those early struggles in the ring.
Joshua has faced a lot of pain, losing close friends Sina Ghami and Latif Ayodele in that tragic crash.
“It’s more than just fighting power. It’s about spirit, for Latz, Sina, and their families. It’s hard even to talk about,” the 36-year-old said before getting emotional and stepping away for a moment. “They were like brothers to me. I don’t want to say more.”
It’s been a tough time both physically and emotionally. Joshua was lucky to survive but suffered many injuries.
“Despite everything he’s gone through, no one seems to cut him any slack,” Hearn explained. “No one says, ‘He had 24 broken ribs, lost two close friends.’ Instead, they just say, ‘He’s done.’”
Joshua had to work hard on his recovery to fight again, making an amazing comeback in just seven months. Now, all eyes are on his big November fight with Fury.