His Excellency Turki Alalshikh, Chairman of Saudia Arabia's General Entertainment Authority, announced former heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua (pictured) will make his return to the ring on July 25th in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia live worldwide on DAZN. The Olympic gold medallist and former two-time unified heavyweight world champion will headline a show at the Esports World Cup Festival, facing Kristian Prenga in a heavyweight showdown. Editor's note: Joshua-Prenga is expected to be a prelude to a much bigger bout later this year, Joshua vs. Tyson Fury, a battle of former heavyweight champions years in the making. Alalshikh, the most powerful man in boxing teased this possibility, tweeting, "To my friends in Great Britain  - it’s happening. It’s signed."

 

Joshua enters the Prenga bout with a professional record of 28 wins and 4 losses, including 25 victories by knockout, with his most recent win coming by knockout against Jake Paul in December 2025. Joshua said: “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. 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. As I said, the landlord will collect his rent. That is certain.”

 

Over the past eight years, Joshua has been central to some of boxing’s biggest heavyweight events, capturing and unifying world titles with landmark wins over Wladimir Klitschko, Joseph Parker, Kubrat Pulev, and Andy Ruiz Jr.

 

He has also shared the ring in high-profile clashes against Oleksandr Usyk, Daniel Dubois, and Francis Ngannou, headlining several global stadium events including Wembley Stadium and Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

 

Standing in his way is Albanian heavyweight Prenga, who holds a record of 201-1 with 20 knockouts. The 35-year old, who turned professional in 2016, will be competing in the highest-profile bout of his career to date, marking his first appearance in a major international main event. Prenga said: “Anthony Joshua is a great fighter, but he made a terrible miscalculation in picking me as his opponent. This is the kind of fight that changes everything in my life and his. I know they have big plans ahead after this fight. I know they are overlooking me. I’m happy about that. I will derail their plans and shock the world this July in Saudi Arabia.”