Will Prenga draw Joshua inspiration from Klitschko, Ruiz and Dubois?

Prenga, a big hitter, will take some confidence from some fights in Joshua’s career, but the British star has proved that he is willing to climb off the floor when things get tough. 

Joshua has been down nine times in his career, with eight of those floorings, coming in two fights, and although Prenga is a major underdog, he can locate several moments in Joshua’s career when he has been in trouble. 

Although hurt by Dillian Whyte in 2015, Joshua didn't receive a count for the first time in his professional until he faced Wladimir Klitschsko in 2017 when a huge right hand in round six put Joshua down before he rallied to win in round 11 in the best fight of the year. 

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Two years later, Joshua’s fragilities would be exposed again when he was the victim of one of the greatest upsets in heavyweight history. 

On his American debut against Andy Ruiz, Joshua may have had an early night after flooring his opponent in the third round. Moving in to secure the win, Joshua was punished as Ruiz fired back and he received two counts in an unforgettable session. 

Joshua was dropped a further two times before being rescued on his feet in what would be the first loss of his career. 

Despite further losses to Oleksandr Usyk in 2021 and the following year, Joshua looked more robust after losing on points twice, but in 2024 when facing Daniel Dubois, the nightmare endured against Ruiz resurfaced in a domestic thriller.  

Down three times before a brief resurgence, Joshua was counted out after a huge shot from Dubois almost immediately ended the contest in round five. 

Prenga will undoubtedly have watched all these fights in preparation for Joshua, but he must also be ready for what is coming back. 

Joshua may have hit the floor many times in his career, but he has always shown guts and courage when in trouble so if Prenga is to have any success, he must be aware that Joshua will not go away easily. 

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