Anthony Joshua Returns to Boxing on July 25 Against Kristian Prenga in Saudi Arabia
Last December, Anthony Joshua defeated Jake Paul by knockout after six dominant rounds of boxing. After the fight, Joshua called out countryman and fellow former heavyweight champion Tyson Fury, aiming to set up a fight boxing fans have longed to see for several years.
Joshua's path to a fight with Fury would be derailed by a car crash just days after his win over Paul.
The boxer, traveling as a passenger in a car during a trip to Nigeria, suffered injuries and needed to be hospitalized. Two of Joshua's close friends and training partners were tragically killed in the accident.
"We went back home, went to see our families and everything just got flipped upside on its head," Joshua said in a YouTube video earlier this year, his first public comments since the crash.
After a difficult end to 2025, Joshua's return to boxing has officially been set. If all goes well in his next bout, another fight against a world-class opponent awaits.
Anthony Joshua's Return to the Ring
Joshua is set to make his return on July 25 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. He is scheduled to fight Kristian Prenga of Albania, who enters with a 20-1 career record.
"It's no secret I've taken some time to consolidate and rebuild to be ready for stepping back into the ring and today is the next step on that journey," Joshua said.
Get ready for the return of Anthony Joshua to the ring against Kristian Prenga at The Comeback
— TURKI ALALSHIKH (@Turki_alalshikh) April 27, 2026
as part of Esports World Cup
July 25
Broadcast live on DAZN pic.twitter.com/1jEZBKM1zz
"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."
Prenga said that Joshua "is a great fighter, but he made a terrible miscalculation in picking me as his opponent." The boxer mentioned that Joshua has "big plans" after his upcoming fight, and that his goal is to "derail" Joshua's next steps.
The fight will be broadcast on DAZN, and is being held in Saudi Arabia as part of the Esports World Cup.
Larger Fight Looms for Joshua Later This Year
Joshua is likely to enter his fight against Prenga as a massive favorite, and if he's able to win, a true mega-fight awaits later in 2026.
In addition to Joshua's upcoming fight in July, another bout was announced on Monday. According to Ring Magazine's Mike Coppinger, Joshua is finally set to fight Tyson Fury in late 2026.
FURY VS JOSHUA IS ON
— Ring Magazine (@ringmagazine) April 27, 2026
Tyson Fury vs Anthony Joshua is now a done deal and will take place in the fourth quarter of this year on Netflix, The Ring's @MikeCoppinger has revealed. pic.twitter.com/UhSnYmZgbg
The Joshua-Fury fight is a "done deal" for Q4 in 2026 and will be broadcast live around the world on Netflix. No venue has been set for the fight, which projects to be the biggest in the United Kingdom's storied boxing history.
Joshua enters as an Olympic gold medalist and former two-time unified heavyweight champion of the world. Fury, who won in his own recent return match against Arslanbek Makhmudov by decision, is a multi-time heavyweight champion in his own right.
As both fighters prepare to meet in the highly anticipated clash later this year, we'll see if Joshua is back to his old form in his return bout this July.
This story was originally published by Men's Journal on Apr 27, 2026, where it first appeared in the Sports section. Add Men's Journal as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
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This story was originally published April 27, 2026 at 12:13 PM.