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Simon Jordan has questioned the nature of Anthony Joshua’s victory over Kristian Prenga as he recovered from two knockdowns to set up a lucrative showdown with Tyson Fury.
Joshua, who had been returning to the ring after seven months of inactivity, appeared on the brink of defeat in the opening round against Prenga.
The Albanian heavyweight knocked Joshua down just 20 seconds into the contest with an uppercut.
Joshua then survived another knockdown later in the round, with fans fearing the long-awaited showdown with Fury was at risk.
The second round proved dramatically different as Joshua unleashed a series of heavy blows to force Prenga towards the ropes, before delivering a knockout blow.
Joshua’s stunning turnaround, coupled with Fury’s victory over Mariusz Wach just 24 hours earlier, cleared the path for the two British heavyweights to finally meet in one of the most lucrative fights in boxing.
Anthony Joshua survived two knock downs in the first round against Kristian Prenga
Joshua responded in the second by delivering a second round knockout of the Albanian
Simon Jordan questioned the nature of Joshua’s victory given the difference between the two rounds
talkSPORT presenter Simon Jordan controversially questioned the dramatic difference in the rounds between Joshua and Prenga.
Jordan declared ‘something not quite right’ as he appeared to reference the sums on offer for Joshua’s fight with Fury.
‘Not having that… #anthonyjoshua fight,’ Jordan posted.
‘Dropped twice and sets the tempo, how’s that ? … Prenga totally different in 2nd
‘Something not quite right, all designed to rinse maximum amount of money…’
Punch stats for the fight revealed the stunning difference between the two rounds, with Joshua landing just five of his 22 attempted punches in the first, while Prenga connected with 15 of his 32.
The second round swung with Joshua landing with 13 of his 46 punches, as Prenga dramatically dropped off by landing three of 17 attempted.
Despite Jordan’s comments on social media, Joshua insisted that ‘champions rise’ in a post-fight interview after coming through the test.
Prenga had stunned Joshua in the opening round and landed 13 of his 32 attempted punches
He landed just three of 17 punches in the second round as Joshua became the aggressor
Prenga was sent to the canvas by a brutal blow from Joshua, who later declared ‘champions rise’ when asked about the dramatic turnaround
‘He [Prenga] gave me a good test but this is what champions do, we rise,’ Joshua said.
‘We get knocked down and stand up. That is life, that is life’s motto.
‘I want to give a massive thank you to Prenga and his team for putting up a good fight. It means a lot to them and it means a lot to me and that is why you see what you see in the ring.
‘I want to give thanks to God. It was more than me in that situation, it can’t just be me in them type of situations. There is a higher power that is calling.
‘He’s a strong guy and I think Eddie [Hearn] wants to sign him now! He is going to do well and he has a bright future.
‘Maybe with a bit more experience, he [Prenga] will be up there with the rest of us. He is strong and durable.’
Looking ahead to the showdown with Fury, with contracts having already been signed, Joshua said in the ring: ‘Have we got Tyson Fury in the room? Is he here or not?
‘I am the meanest, most vicious champion. Nobody can stop me. He is no Oleksandr [Usyk].
‘All jokes aside, there are two sides. One is the fighter and the other is respect. I respect everything he has done and everything that he has achieved, but as a fighting person, we’re here now.
‘I hope the fans will be in for a lovely treat.’
Joshua had paid tribute to his two close friends, who were killed in a car crash in December.
Joshua will finally face Tyson Fury in a money-spinning contest with his rival having beaten Mariussz Wach a day earlier
Joshua paid tribute to his close friends Sina Ghami and Latif ‘Latz’ Ayodele, who died in a car crash in December
Sina Ghami and Latif ‘Latz’ Ayodele died while the car they were travelling in struck a truck on a road near Lagos in December. The pair were on holiday with Joshua after he beat Jake Paul in Miami.
The heavyweight boxer, who was also in the vehicle, was taken to hospital before being discharged and flying home to the UK – where he attended the funerals of his strength and conditioning coach Ghami and Ayodele, one of his trainers.
Fighting in honour of Ghami and Ayodele, Joshua paid tribute to his friends by having their names printed on his military camouflage trunks.
He also walked to the ring wearing a military-style jacket to match his camo shorts. The jacket featured a medal bar displaying the IBF, IBO, WBA, and WBO titles – which he previously held – alongside pennants bearing Ghami and Ayodele’s names.
Meanwhile, ‘Latz x Sina, My Brother’s Keeper, MBK’ was printed on the canvas in his corner.
Asked about how he has been coping after beating Prenga, Joshua said: ‘It’s been tough,’ before becoming emotional. ‘That’s my brothers. I don’t want to talk about that.’
Speaking on DAZN, Matchroom Boxing chief Eddie Hearn admitted he feared the heavyweight had returned to the ring too soon after witnessing his struggles in the opening round.
‘Nobody can imagine what he’s been through in that last seven months. In that first round, I thought we’d come back too soon,’ Hearn said.
‘Boxing got him through. To even be in the ring tonight is astonishing. You don’t know what he’s been through. He had to go to the depths one more time to get up, like he has done the last seven months.’
In February, Joshua memorialised Ghami and Ayodele by having their names tattooed on his arm.
