The former heavyweight world champion will face Kristian Prenga in Saudi Arabia this July.
Anthony Joshua is heading back to Riyadh. The Olympic gold medallist and former two-time unified heavyweight world champion will return to the ring on Saturday, 25 July 2026, when he faces Kristian Prenga in a heavyweight bout billed as The Comeback. The fight will headline a card staged as part of the Esports World Cup Festival and will be broadcast live worldwide on DAZN.
The announcement was made by His Excellency Turki Alalshikh, Chairman of Saudi Arabia’s General Entertainment Authority, further strengthening the Kingdom’s position as a major player in global boxing. Joshua’s return is expected to be one of the biggest sporting moments of the summer, as fans look to see whether the British fighter can reassert himself at the top of the heavyweight division.
Joshua enters the bout with a professional record of 29 wins and four losses, including 26 victories by knockout. His last outing saw him defeat Jake Paul by sixth-round knockout in Miami in December 2025, before taking time away from the sport following a car accident later that month that killed two close friends and members of his team.
Standing across from him in Riyadh will be Kristian Prenga, a 35-year-old Albanian heavyweight who fights out of New Jersey. Prenga brings a record of 20 wins and one defeat, with every one of his victories coming by knockout. While he has not yet operated at Joshua’s level, his power and activity make him a dangerous opponent for a comeback fight.
The bout is also expected to serve as a key stepping stone towards a long-discussed showdown between Joshua and Tyson Fury later in 2026. ESPN reports that Joshua’s fight with Prenga is the first in a two-fight deal with Turki Alalshikh, with the second expected to be against Fury.
The Riyadh bout carries added emotional weight for Joshua. It will mark his first fight since he was involved in a fatal car accident in Nigeria in December 2025, which killed two close friends from his inner circle. Joshua sustained minor injuries in the crash and subsequently took time away from competition to recover and rebuild. Now, with The Comeback, the 36-year-old is not only returning to the heavyweight conversation but beginning a deeply personal new chapter inside the ring.
Venue details, ticketing information, ringwalk timings and the full undercard have yet to be confirmed. However, DAZN has confirmed that Joshua vs Prenga will be shown live on DAZN Pay-Per-View and Ultimate Tier.
Contact: www.dazn.com