Anthony Joshua Announces Return to Boxing Ring for July 25th Bout

British-Nigerian boxing star Anthony Joshua is preparing for his return to the ring with a scheduled fight on July 25th in Saudi Arabia. He is set to face Albania's Kristian Prenga in Riyadh.

This upcoming bout will be Joshua's first since resuming training following a car accident he experienced in Nigeria in December, an incident that tragically claimed the lives of two of his close friends.

The official confirmation of Joshua's comeback fight coincided with statements from promoters Turki Alalshikh and Eddie Hearn, indicating that a highly anticipated bout between Joshua and his rival Tyson Fury has been agreed upon for later this year.

Joshua expressed his readiness for the fight, stating, "It's no secret I've taken some time to consolidate and rebuild to be ready for stepping back into the ring, and today is the next step on that journey. I'm delighted to have agreed a multi-fight deal starting with July 25 in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia."

He added, "I'm looking forward to competing and picking up where I left off. As I said, The landlord will collect his rent. That is certain."

Saudi boxing chief Turki Alalshikh had earlier heightened expectations on Monday with a social media post suggesting the Joshua-Fury fight was finalized, announcing: "To my friends in Great Britain. It's happening, it's signed."

Joshua, an Olympic gold medalist from the 2012 games, has achieved two-time heavyweight champion status in his professional career. His record stands at 29 wins, with 26 knockouts, and four losses, two by knockout.

He initially secured the IBF heavyweight title in 2016 via a second-round knockout of Charles Martin, subsequently adding the WBA, WBO, and IBO belts to his collection. However, he suffered a surprising seventh-round stoppage defeat to Andy Ruiz Jr in 2019, losing his titles.

Joshua reclaimed his championships in an immediate rematch six months later but then lost them to former undisputed cruiserweight champion Oleksandr Usyk in 2021.

Since then, he has participated in two more heavyweight title contests, first losing a rematch to Usyk in 2022 and then being defeated by fellow Briton Daniel Dubois via fifth-round knockout for the IBF title in 2024.