Anthony Joshua’s warm-up opponent wants to cancel Tyson Fury fight in ambitious plan

Kristian Prenga has called for Anthony Joshua to call off his planned clash with Tyson Fury – he’s ready to cause a historic upset.

Joshua will take what is widely viewed as a warm-up fight against unbeaten Albanian Prenga in Jeddah on July 25.

AFP

Prenga has what looks like an ominous KO record, but his victories have come against limited opposition.

For AJ, he has already got his journey to a mega-fight mapped out, having signed on the dotted line to face Fury in the final quarter of 2026.

But in boxing there is always a small risk, and an almighty slip-up could derail yet another big fight, just as it did with his planned bout with Deontay Wilder in 2024.

Prenga is likely to see the bout as a free hit, and victory could change his life and the trajectory of his career forever.

Prenga – ‘Cancel the Fury fight, I’m here to win’

The chance of upsetting the apple cart is enough to motivate the underdog more than ever.

And he thinks organisers would be best suited cancelling the contracted fight with Fury, as he plans a disruptive arrival to the division.

He told talkSPORT: “I’m going for a knockout guys.

“It is not going to happen [his fight with Fury].

“I’m going to cancel that fight. They should just cancel that fight.

“I’m going to win on July 25. I’m going to show him about Albanian punchers.”

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On how the fight came about, Prenga added: “My manager called me with a big opportunity.

“I was meant to fight on June 6, but now I will fight Joshua on July 25.

“I immediately said let’s go, I’m ready to do it. I was very surprised.”

Joshua vs Fury – the plan so far

Nonetheless, the hope for the vast majority of the boxing world that we can finally see arguably the division’s two biggest commercial names meet.

Joshua and Fury are being targeted to meet in the final stages of 2026, providing victories are achieved in their warm-up clashes.

The ‘Gypsy King’ has yet to announce his opponent, but will likely take a similar opposition to Arslanbek Makhmudov whom he beat in April.

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Tentative plans are being made, with a venue yet to be officially disclosed, but Wembley Stadium is considered the front-runner.