Kristian Prenga
 |
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Nickname | The Eagle |
| Born | Kristian Prenga 24 January 1991 Orosh, Albania |
| Height | 6 ft 5 in (196 cm) |
| Weight | Heavyweight |
| Boxing career | |
| Reach | 196 cm (77 in) |
| Stance | Orthodox |
| Boxing record | |
| Total fights | 22 |
| Wins | 20 |
| Win by KO | 20 |
| Losses | 2 |
Kristian Prenga (born 24 January 1991) is an Albanian professional boxer.
Early life
[edit]Prenga has stated that despite difficult economic conditions, he had a happy childhood. He learned how to drive a truck when he was 8 years old to help his father work in the mountains. He gained an interest in boxing after going to the gym to lose weight.[1] He also trained in kickboxing.[2]
Professional career
[edit]Prenga made his professional debut on 7 May 2016, defeating veteran Pavel Siska by second round knockout in Munich, Germany.[2]
Prenga suffered an early setback in the fifth fight of his career. He suffered a points deduction and ultimately a points defeat to Dutch journeyman Giovanni Auriemma.[3] Prengas biggest win of his career came against American gatekeeper Joey Dawejko. Prenga won by stoppage in the fifth round after Dawejko complained about a bicep injury.[4] Prenga became one of the best ticket sellers in New Jersey. He knocked out American Juan Torres at the 2300 Arena in Philadelphia, dropping Torres three times in the first round and twice more in the second round before the referee stopped the fight.[5]
Prenga vs. Joshua
[edit]On 27 April 2026, it was announced that Prenga would face former two-time heavyweight world champion Anthony Joshua in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia as a warm-up fight for Joshua's planned bout with Tyson Fury later in 2026. The bout was streamed on DAZN on 25 July 2026, taking place at the same time as the Esports World Cup in Boulevard City.[6] Prenga knocked Joshua down twice in the first round, with the first knockdown coming just 20 seconds into the bout, although Joshua went on to win by knockout in the second round.[7] The bout was highly controversial,[8][9][10] with many viewers and pundits questioning its authenticity,[11] owing to Prenga's hesitant and lethargic approach in the second round given the success he had in the first. Former 2-division world champion Paulie Malignaggi explored his own thoughts regarding the fight potentially being fixed on Talksport, stating that "A lot of powerful people make a lot of money if you make AJ vs Fury. So, is it possible that somebody whispered into the Prenga corner? I'm just giving a conspiracy theory, don't shoot the messenger.", going on to say "I'm not saying it's necessarily what I believe. Okay. I mean, it's certainly in my mind. It's certainly something I'm thinking about because I'm still trying to come to terms with a guy who was throwing a bunch of punches and landed them and hurt his opponent and all of a sudden just decided to hit the pause button and say, "You know what? I'm not going to throw any punches in round two. You know, I don't want to win this fight." I don't know. It was weird".[12]
Personal life
[edit]Professional boxing record
[edit]| 22 fights | 20 wins | 2 losses |
|---|---|---|
| By knockout | 20 | 1 |
| By decision | 0 | 1 |
| No. | Result | Record | Opponent | Type | Round, time | Date | Location | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 22 | Loss | 20–2 | Anthony Joshua | KO | 2 (12), 2:43 | 25 Jul 2026 | Jeddah Superdome, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia | |
| 21 | Win | 20–1 | Joe Jones | TKO | 1 (8), 1:57 | 21 Feb 2026 | Showboat Hotel & Casino, Atlantic City, New Jersey, US | |
| 20 | Win | 19–1 | Brandon Carmack | KO | 1 (8), 1:35 | 6 Dec 2025 | Ballys Park Place Hotel Casino, Atlantic City, New Jersey, US | |
| 19 | Win | 18–1 | Willie Jake Jr | TKO | 1 (8), 2:26 | 4 Apr 2025 | Radisson Hotel Southfield, Detroit, Michigan, US | |
| 18 | Win | 17–1 | Juan Torres | TKO | 2 (10), 1:16 | 18 Jan 2025 | 2300 Arena, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, US | |
| 17 | Win | 16–1 | Joey Dawejko | TKO | 5 (8), 0:41 | 12 Oct 2024 | Prudential Center, Newark, New Jersey, US | |
| 16 | Win | 15–1 | Christoper Arnold | TKO | 1 (8), 2:27 | 29 Dec 2023 | Prudential Center, Newark, New Jersey, US | |
| 15 | Win | 14–1 | Santander Silgado Gelez | KO | 1 (10), 1:22 | 22 Jul 2023 | Boardwalk Hall, Atlantic City, New Jersey, US | |
| 14 | Win | 13–1 | Samuel Crossed | KO | 3 (10), 0:31 | 25 Mar 2023 | Boardwalk Hall, Atlantic City, New Jersey, US | Won vacant WBA-NABA heavyweight title |
| 13 | Win | 12–1 | Alvin Davie | TKO | 2 (6), 1:32 | 12 Nov 2022 | Showboat Hotel, Atlantic City, New Jersey, US | |
| 12 | Win | 11–1 | DeShon Webster | KO | 2 (6), 1:09 | 29 Apr 2022 | 2300 Arena, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, US | |
| 11 | Win | 10–1 | Samuel Miller | KO | 1 (8), 1:35 | 17 Jul 2021 | Coliseo Luis Patron Rosano, Tolú, Colombia | |
| 10 | Win | 9–1 | Aldo Colliander | TKO | 6 (6), 2:16 | 15 Dec 2018 | Coca-Cola Coliseum, Toronto, Ontario, Canada | |
| 9 | Win | 8–1 | Ricardo Humberto Ramirez | KO | 3 (6), 1:44 | 19 May 2018 | Air Canada Centre, Toronto, Ontario, Canada | |
| 8 | Win | 7–1 | Tim Chemelli | TKO | 2 (6), 1:06 | 24 Mar 2018 | Metro Toronto Convention Centre, Toronto, Ontario, Canada | |
| 7 | Win | 6–1 | Alfredo Trevino | TKO | 2 (6), 0:46 | 1 Dec 2017 | Scotiabank Convention Centre, Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada | |
| 6 | Win | 5–1 | Jaime Barajas | KO | 1 (4), 1:08 | 30 Jun 2017 | Scotiabank Convention Centre, Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada | |
| 5 | Loss | 4–1 | Giovanni Auriemma | PTS | 8 | 18 Feb 2017 | Rabo Theater De Meenthe, Steenwijk, Netherlands | |
| 4 | Win | 4–0 | Dejan Krneta | TKO | 3 (4), 0:37 | 26 Nov 2016 | Loewensaal, Nuremberg, Germany | |
| 3 | Win | 3–0 | Giovanni Auriemma | TKO | 4 (4), 2:34 | 22 Oct 2016 | Sporthalle, Berlin, Germany | |
| 2 | Win | 2–0 | Haris Radmilovic | KO | 2 (4), 1:11 | 8 Oct 2016 | Kampfsportcenter, Munich, Germany | |
| 1 | Win | 1–0 | Pavel Siska | TKO | 2 (4), 1:29 | 7 May 2016 | Kampfsportcenter, Munich, Germany |
References
[edit]- ↑ "Albanian boxer Kristian Prenga dreams of becoming a world champion". atlantiku. Retrieved 3 March 2025.
- 1 2 3 "Who is Anthony Joshua's next opponent, Kristian Prenga?". britishboxingnews.co.uk. 27 April 2026. Retrieved 2 June 2026.
- ↑ "TV Picks of the Week: Omar Trinidad vs. Mike Plania, Mizuki Hiruta vs. Maribel Ramirez". boxingscene. Retrieved 3 March 2025.
- ↑ "Khalid Twaiti, Danny Gonzalez and Kristian Prenga shine in wins". boxingscene. Retrieved 3 March 2025.
- ↑ "Kristian Prenga KOs Juan Torres in 2, Patricio siblings win in Philly". boxingscene. Retrieved 3 March 2025.
- ↑ Taylor, Declan (27 April 2026). "Anthony Joshua-Tyson Fury deal signed, AJ in July 25 warm-up vs. Prenga". The Ring. Retrieved 27 April 2026.
- ↑ Sajad, Kal (25 July 2026). "Anthony Joshua vs Kristian Prenga: Briton suffers two knockdowns in first round but wins in second". BBC Sport. Retrieved 26 July 2026.
- ↑ "Anthony Joshua 'fix' allegations launched as Kristian Prenga fight 'not right'". Express. Retrieved 26 July 2026.
- ↑ "Anthony Joshua fight accused of being 'fixed' after dramatic second-round win over Kristian". GB News. Retrieved 26 July 2026.
- ↑ "Anthony Joshua vs Kristian Prenga Hit By 'Fix' Allegations as Conspiracy Theories Emerge". GiveMeSport. Retrieved 26 July 2026.
- ↑ "Matchroom CEO responds after 'wild' Simon Jordan accusation after Anthony Joshua's win over Kristian Prenga". TalkSport. Retrieved 26 July 2026.
- ↑ ""WHISPERED IN EAR!" Paulie Malignaggi Shock Corruption Claim as Prenga Knocks Anthony Joshua Down". YouTube. Retrieved 27 July 2026.