Anthony Joshua survives two knockdowns to KO Kristian Prenga - ESPN

Anthony Joshua climbed off the canvas twice and marked his return to the ring with a dramatic Round 2 knockout victory over Kristian Prenga on Saturday in Saudi Arabia.

Joshua survived two knockdowns in the opening round to beat Prenga in his first fight of the year to set up a blockbuster clash with Tyson Fury later this year.

Prenga caught Joshua with a right hand in the opening seconds of the fight that sent the former two-time heavyweight champion to the floor. Joshua quickly got up but looked unsteady for the remaining minutes before touching the canvas a second time before the end of the first round.

Joshua came out in Round 2 and looked to calm things down, setting up his jab and tagging Prenga with a right hand. The Brit then marched forward and landed another huge right hand which dropped Prenga and saw him slumped against the ropes. Prenga never recovered and the fight was waved off with Joshua emerging victorious in his comeback bout.

«Where is he? There's two sides to this. Fire. And respect,» Joshua said afterwards about Fury. «I respect everything he's done. We're here now.»

While there was speculation a long-awaited bout between Joshua and Fury could be announced on Saturday, Fury did not appear in the ring and neither a date or location for the fight, which is being targeted for later this year, has been announced. A day earlier, Fury beat Mariusz Wach in Thailand.

Joshua's win came just seven months after he was a passenger in a car crash which killed his two close friends Sina Ghami and Latif «Latz» Ayodele, a remarkable comeback in which the Brit showed mental and physical strength to return to the ring. Prior to the fight, Joshua had noted that boxing was his «purpose» in life and how he wanted to