Kristian Prenga has say on suggestions Anthony Joshua KO was ‘fixed’

Kristian Prenga has blasted claims his fight with Anthony Joshua was manufactured.

Unknown entity Prenga got the opportunity of a lifetime in a warm-up fight with heavyweight superstar Joshua.

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And he nearly delivered a monumental upset dropping the Briton to the canvas twice in the opening round.

But the Albanian was guilty of lacking killer instinct as he failed to close the show, and Joshua did the damage in the second with a brutal stoppage.

The likes of talkSPORT host Simon Jordan suggested that the outcome was fishy and may have been with ill intent, a theory he later circled back on.

And now the fighter himself has emphatically rubbished the conspiracies, insisting he simply ran out of steam.

“What do I make of Simon Jordan’s comments? Completely false, and irresponsible for anyone to suggest it,” Prenga told Svea Casino.

“AJ and I have integrity, we would never engage in this stupidity.

“I felt I needed to preserve energy and catch my breath, so I thought I would start slow [in round two] and replenish my energy.

“Unfortunately, it didn’t happen, and that slower pace allowed AJ to flip control of the fight to him.”

Prenga’s assessment matches the work of his corner, who were seen instructing the previously unbeaten KO artist to be patient and slow the tempo.

It allowed an opening for Joshua to regather his composure and use his own destructive power to find his own winning moment.

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Prenga confirms manager’s illness claims

And it quickly became clear that Prenga believed he had circumstances which dictated his approach.

His manager Keith Sullivan exclusively revealed on talkSPORT that the beaten warrior had suffered with illness in a turbulent pre-fight training camp.

A factor that Prenga believes hampered his chances after the bell sounded for the second period.

“What did I learn?” Prenga continued.

“Try not to get sick during training camp would be my main takeaway.

“Because you feel the difference from losing those training days and cardio workouts after the first round.”

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Prenga, despite his loss, already has options stacking up including a potential bout with Dave Allen, so his future still looks bright.