Usyk Backs Joshua to KO Fury After AJ Survives Two Knockdowns vs Prenga

Anthony Joshua nearly walked into a career-detonating upset on Saturday night in Jeddah. The 29-4 (26 KO) heavyweight was floored twice in the opening round by Kristian Prenga before pulling himself off the deck and finishing the job in round two, landing his own knockdown en route to a stoppage. It was ugly, it was tense, and it was exactly the kind of scare that keeps promoters awake.

Enter Oleksandr Usyk. The lineal champion at 25-0 (16 KO) — and now Joshua's training partner after two title fights against him in 2021 and 2022 — watched the whole thing and came away convinced. Speaking to TalkSport, Usyk declared that "AJ is back" and went further, tipping Joshua to become the next undisputed champion. High praise from the man who beat him twice.

Usyk's Prediction

Usyk framed the Prenga knockdowns as a first-round test rather than a genuine crisis, pointing to the uppercut that turned the fight and the recovery that followed. He then took aim at Tyson Fury — whom he nicknamed "Greedy Belly" — predicting Fury would question Joshua's chin before getting knocked out himself when the two finally meet. Usyk knows Fury's chin too: he's the only man to hand Fury both of his losses.

That Joshua-Fury showdown is now closer than it's been in years. Fury, ranked #3 at 36-2-1 (25 KO), got his own tune-up out of the way on Friday in Thailand, forcing a seventh-round retirement win over Mariusz Wach. Two heavyweights, two weekend victories, one long-delayed grudge match finally lining up for later this year.

The Reality Check

For all the optimism, the Prenga fight wasn't a clean audit. Joshua has now lost four times as a pro, and getting dropped twice by a fighter of Prenga's profile isn't the résumé line you want heading into camp against Fury. His last outing — a sixth-round knockout of Jake Paul — flattered the numbers more than the eye test.

Still, Joshua found a way, which is more than can be said for plenty of heavyweights who fold under early pressure. Usyk clearly sees the version of AJ that once looked untouchable. Whether that version turns up against Fury is the only question that matters now — and it's one that gets answered before the year is out.