Anthony Joshua came close to a shock knockout defeat when tasked with Kristian Prenga on Saturday and the advice from his corner has been criticised. Now, Joshua’s trainer Iegor Golub has released a statement following his fighter’s concerning display.
‘AJ’ famously moved to Team Usyk last year, with Golub taking the reins for the first time ahead of Joshua’s unconventional bout with YouTuber-turned-boxer Jake Paul in December, where the Briton scored a sixth round knockout win.
However, against Prenga, Joshua and Golub faced their first genuine heavyweight as a team, albeit one who entered the contest as a larger underdog than Paul did.
The night did not go as planned for anyone involved, as Joshua was dropped twice in a disastrous opening round. Corner instructions from Sergey Lapin telling him “not to go down,” coupled with a somewhat confusing exchange with Golub, have left fans and pundits questioning the tactics employed.
This isn't good. https://t.co/9D9uQkdvUw
— Andy Clarke (@MrAndyClarke) July 28, 2026
Still, Joshua bounced back and disposed of his Albanian opponent emphatically in round two. That has not stopped criticism being thrown Golub and Lapin’s way ahead of a long-awaited showdown with Tyson Fury later this year.
On his Instagram, Golub responded by highlighting how impressive Joshua’s response to adversity was, before declaring that ‘a big fish’ is ahead of them.
“It’s not mistakes that define a champion. It’s how he responds to them.
“A few moments passed after the first knockdown, and I glanced at the clock: 2:36 remained in the round. Those were probably the longest two and a half minutes of my life. I imagine they were for AJ as well.
“But he pulled himself together, showed his character, and weathered the storm. There was a lot at stake. We all understood that then, and we understand it even more now.
“I don’t see much point in commenting on the knockout itself. The power in his hands is incredible, and every single day we work to make that weapon as sharp as it can possibly be.
“Huge thanks to the Ready to Fight team for their work, to Oleksandr Usyk, and to my loved ones who traveled to the other side of the world to support us.
“Ahead of us is a “very big fish” that won’t forgive a single mistake. Anthony won’t forgive a single mistake too.”
Joshua and Fury are expected to face each other in November with Netflix set to be the broadcaster of a blockbuster bill.
