Anthony Joshua is preparing for his heavyweight bout against Kristian Prenga in Jeddah this Saturday, with promoter Barry Hearn stating the former champion is more motivated than ever. The fight is designed to provide rounds following a recent accident and his 2024 loss.
Hearn, who has been with Joshua since the start of his professional career, believes the fighter is in an excellent state mentally. “AJ is in an amazing place at the moment. Obviously, I’ve seen him since 2012. We’ve got very close. He’s like a member of our family,” Hearn told Sky Sports. He noted a significant shift in Joshua’s long-term ambitions, moving from near-retirement to a multi-year plan. “I don’t think I’ve seen him so motivated for the long term. Some of that’s been fueled by that tragic accident, but he’s now talking about the next three years in the ring. It was a year ago that we were talking about potentially two fights and then go off to a happy retirement.”
Despite the positive reports from Joshua’s camp, the bout with Prenga is not seen as a significant challenge. The opponent was selected to help Joshua regain ring time rather than to test him against a top-tier heavyweight. This follows his 2024 stoppage loss to Daniel Dubois and a subsequent victory over Jake Paul, where Joshua still appeared vulnerable before securing the knockout.
Concerns about how Joshua reacts to being hit remain. Hearn acknowledged the unpredictable nature of heavyweight boxing. “He’s very motivated; he feels good about himself, but boxing is a funny sport. It takes one punch from a big lad to knock out anyone in the world. So, you’ve got to be on your toes all the time. You can’t take this for granted. And when you get your chance, you’ve got to take it.”
The immediate stakes for Joshua are clear. A convincing performance is required to silence critics and keep alive the possibility of future title contention. Anything less than a dominant victory would confirm that the flaws exposed by Dubois persist. Hearn expects a statement to be made. “AJ is in the mood to cause a lot of pain on Saturday. I don’t think I’ve seen him look better than this in the 14 years I’ve known him. He is in the right place, and I think on Saturday in Jeddah will be the right time,” he concluded.
