Joshua shows Prenga respect; won’t talk about Fury

JEDDAH: The two-time unified heavyweight champion, Anthony Joshua said on Thursday he is prepared to take on Kristian Prenga in Jeddah, on Saturday night at Jeddah Dome.

The two fighters, who will headline the card event in Jeddah, faced off for a second time this week at a press conference at Jeddah Promenade.

“We’ve been working since January, working hard, aligning all my stars,” Joshua said.

“I understand there’s a big picture. The goal is to conquer the universe, right? But first we must conquer earth.

Asked about facing Tyson Fury in November, the 36-year-old British boxer said: “No, no, no. I have to respect my opponent over there. We don’t want to talk about Tyson Fury.”

“Our focus is on Krsitian Prenga and his team, respectfully.

He added: “Ultimately, the reality of the matter is there is no future unless I get past this checkpoint on Saturday night.”

On the other hand, the Albanian boxer who has 20 wins, 20 knockouts with just one defeat responded to his challenge against Joshua: “I’m just going to say it short. Knockout.”

A confident Prenga said he hopes to show the world who he is when he fights Joshua as a massive underdog on Saturday.

He was asked how to beat Joshua, the 35-year-old said: “Every boxer has weaknesses and falls in the ring no matter who you are.”

“I respect Anthony Joshua very much. I’ve seen his weakness. I’ve seen what he does best.

Promoter Eddie Hearn said Joshua has been working ‘like I’ve never seen before’ and labelled his comeback ‘phenomenal.’

“We chose Prenga for a reason because he’s a real challenge,” Hearn said.