Keys to Victory: Where will Anthony Joshua and Kristian Prenga land major damage?

But before Joshua can jump into that buildup with ‘The Gypsy King,’ the former two-time unified world heavyweight champion will first clash with Kristian Prenga in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, and live on DAZN PPV and Ultimate Tier, tonight.

Joshua (29-4, 26 KOs) hasn’t fought since fracturing Jake Paul’s jaw in a punctuating sixth-round knockout in December, though he was ringside when Fury called him out following an April victory.

To notch his 30^th professional win, Joshua will have to get past Prenga (20-1, 20 KOs) who counts all of his victories via knockout, having last stopped Joe Jones by first-round TKO in February.

Will AJ pummel Prenga to adequately tune up for Fury? Or will the Albanian underdog shock Joshua and the boxing world over with an eye-popping upset?

With the stakes high, DAZN News unpacks the Keys to Victory for both AJ and Prenga.

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What has changed to create AJ 2.0?

Watch: Joshua explains the improvements he has made in his life

BUY NOW HERE: Joshua vs. Prenga PPV for £19.99 / $59.99 or included in DAZN's Ultimate Tier subscription

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Anthony Joshua’s Keys to Victory

Establish the jab early

Against a heavyweight who has nothing to lose and everything to gain in Kristian Prenga, Anthony Joshua must establish his range behind the jab early.

Asserting this weapon with his 82 inches of reach will allow Joshua to broker the terms of his ring real estate and could keep Prenga’s legitimate knockout power at bay.

Set traps for Prenga

Having trained with Oleksandr Uysk’s team, Joshua can best show the benefits of that experience by setting traps for Prenga. After all, he is on a collision course that converges with a cerebral assassin in Tyson Fury, so it’s imperative that AJ flashes a bolstered ring IQ in this bout.

Patiently stalking Prenga with bait to lure the Albanian heavyweight could be Joshua’s best bet to unleash a fight-erasing right hand.

Finish strong

Joshua needs his confidence to be sky high entering the mega bout against Fury. Therefore, it is vital that the former two-time unified heavyweight world champion finishes this fight against Prenga on a strong note.

Anything less, especially any kind of turbulence against Prenga, could have AJ not hitting his stride en route to one of the biggest bouts in boxing history.

Whether it’s a definitive knockout or boxing masterclass via points, Joshua must soundly defeat Prenga to appropriately prepare for Fury.

Kristian Prenga’s Keys to Victory

Target Joshua’s body

Although he’s often guilty of hunching his shoulders while lumbering forward, Kristian Prenga has thunderous pop to his body shots.

Considering Anthony Joshua stands 6-foot-6, Prenga will have ample space to target AJ’s midsection and should do so in efforts to lower the Brit’s arms just enough where he could land a more damaging blow upstairs.

Wrap right hook around AJ’s guard

Fight footage of Prenga shows he wraps his right hooks around opponents’ guards well. With AJ standing an inch taller than Prenga, the Albanian fighter might need to adjust this shot to more of an overhand right.

Still, he has the opportunity to blast Joshua around the guard, especially as a counterpunch if timed precisely.

Stay composed

Yes, Prenga touting a 100% knockout ratio over the course of his 20 victories is impressive. However, the Albanian KO artist has never shared the ring with the caliber of fighter quite like Joshua.

That said, Prenga, 35, must stay composed as this stage of the Jeddah Superdome, and live on DAZN PPV, is easily the biggest platform of his career.

He cannot afford to be rattled or get tentative by the spotlight or a more seasoned Joshua will make short work of him.

However, a composed Prenga might stand the chance to make this way more interesting — and even dangerous — than Joshua ever bargained for.

Who has the edge in Joshua vs. Prenga?

Analysis: DAZN News' Mark Lelinwalla

Let's be clear: Anthony Joshua could have taken on a far less threat than Kristian Prenga. There is legitimate danger in facing the Albanian fighter with 20 knockouts accounting for all 20 of his wins.

But AJ's choice should tell us something about his confidence accrued through preparing with Oleksandr Usyk's team. I give the former two-time unified heavyweight ruler credit for being open to new voices at 36. Other fighters so accomplished at this age might have too much pride to pivot.

All this being said, I like AJ's renewed focus and expect a strong finish against Prenga who just doesn't have the experience. I'm expecting an AJ knockout that gets him revved up for the super fight against Fury.

Joshua vs. Prenga - exclusively on DAZN PPV

Watch Anthony Joshua versus Kristian Prenga on Saturday, July 25, as part of a huge 24 hours of boxing on DAZN PPV. 

Buy as a one-off PPV or included along with Spence Jr. vs. Tszyu on the same night, and Moses Itauma vs. Hrgovic (Aug 29) and Canelo vs. Mbilli (Oct) PPVs, with a DAZN Ultimate Tier subscription.

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