Eddie Hearn, promoter for Anthony Joshua, explained why the former heavyweight world champion chose Albanian knockout artist Christian Prenga for his next fight. The bout is set for July 25 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, and will be the Brit’s first appearance after a forced layoff.
Hearn acknowledged that in the heavyweight division, any opponent choice is bound to draw criticism.
“You have to fight somebody, and they’re all dangerous. You’re going to get criticized no matter who you pick — that’s just how boxing works,” the promoter said in an interview with the FightHype YouTube channel. “This guy has operated at a lower level than AJ. But when we looked at his résumé, several people asked, ‘Do you really want to go in there with a puncher like that?’ Prenga said we made a big mistake. But we’re confident: these are the kinds of opponents we’re supposed to beat.”
Hearn stressed that the team is approaching the upcoming fight with maximum seriousness, fully aware of the challenges ahead. At the same time, he sees it as an important and necessary step in Joshua’s preparation.
“This is not a walkover. We’re taking it extremely seriously because there’s something much bigger ahead of us. But Joshua has to deal with fighters of this level convincingly. I don’t think it’ll be easy — this guy just pulled the biggest lottery ticket of his career and he’s going to come in highly motivated. Prenga is a big, strong man, similar in size to Tyson Fury. So for us, it’s excellent preparation for the mega-fight that’s coming,” the promoter added.
