Anthony Joshua’s comeback fight against Kristian Prenga, regarded as a warm-up before facing Tyson Fury, was not as straightforward as many had expected it to be.
Whether Prenga gassed out or felt ‘AJ’s power, the tide turned completely in the second, with the Brit recovering to produce a knockdown, and knockout, of his own.
The performance, while thrilling and ultimately a victory, led many fans and pundits to question Joshua’s punch resistance, and he was asked directly about this in the post-fight press conference.
“I got back up. That happened, what, in the first twenty seconds of round one? Got back up, took a beating, stood the storm and came back in round two. No [that’s not heart], that’s resistance. Resistance is spirit, durability, everything combined. Winning isn’t just one thing, it’s a whole heap of things.
“For me, I showed you where I’m at. I was in with someone who’s knocked out twenty people. He’s definitely a strong guy. He hit me with a good uppercut. Boxing’s not pretty, if I go in there and expect it to be pretty, I wouldn’t get back up, because it would be out of my thought process. I know it’s going to be tough, I’m in against livewires. It’s not so much about resistance, it’s just that I’m in with strong, heavy-handed guys who want to come and win.”
Joshua then pointed out that the question would be more relevant had he not won the fight.
“He hit me with a good shot. So what? Roll it off, get up, take some more punches, keep going until it’s my turn. And let’s see who’s the bad boy, let’s see who’s rough and ready. I come out on top. You need to be asking him about his punch resistance, don’t be asking me. I’m sitting here victorious. That’s the fact of the matter. I ain’t the one with issues with my punch resistance.”
A fight with Fury – who also won his own interim bout this weekend against Maurisz Wach – is now expected to be finalised in the coming weeks. Fans will then see again in November whether or not Prenga’s shot was a particularly heavy one, or if Joshua is now more susceptible to power punches than he once was.
