Albanian heavyweight boxer Kristian Prenga has admitted that Anthony Joshua’s punching power was too much to handle during their bout in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.

Prenga suffered the first knockdown of his career in the fight after Joshua recovered from being knocked down twice in the opening round and stopped him in the second round.

The 35-year-old, who entered the bout with a 20-1 record, said Joshua’s power played a major role in the defeat, noting that he had never previously been knocked down, including during sparring.

Prenga had initially stunned Joshua with a right uppercut that floored the British-Nigerian twice in the first round. However, Joshua quickly recovered and ended the contest in the following round.

The fight marked a major step up in competition for Prenga, whose biggest victory before facing Joshua came against Joey Dawejko in 2024.

After the victory, Joshua dedicated the win to his late friends and team members, Sina Ghami and Latif “Latz” Ayodele, who died in a car crash in Nigeria in December.

Joshua said the victory was about more than his punching power, describing the late men as his brothers and saying their deaths had been difficult for him and their families.