“AJ and I have integrity, we would never engage in this stupidity“ —Albanian boxer Prenga denies allegations that his fight with Anthony Joshua was fixed

Albanian boxer Kristian Prenga has dismissed claims that his knockout loss to Anthony Joshua in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, was fixed, calling the accusations completely false and irresponsible.

Prenga rejected online conspiracy theories and criticism from commentators who questioned his sudden shift in momentum after dropping Joshua twice in the first round. The Albanian floored Joshua with a powerful right inside the opening 20 seconds before knocking him to the canvas once more later in the round.
 

However, the 35-year-old was unable to maintain the early intensity and aggression, as Joshua improved dramatically in the second round and demonstrated his class to take control.

Addressing the controversy, Prenga revealed that he battled illness during his training camp, which severely drained his cardio and stamina after the frantic opening round.
 

Reflecting on the allegations and his performance, Prenga stated:
 

“What do I make of Simon Jordan’s comments? Completely false, and irresponsible for anyone to suggest it. 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 and replenish my energy. Unfortunately, it didn’t happen, and that slower pace allowed AJ to flip control of the fight to him.
“What did I learn? Try not to get sick during training camp because you feel the difference from losing those training days and cardio workouts after the first round.”
 

Earlier this week, Sergey Lapin, Director of Team Usyk, also hit back at the fixing allegations. Joshua had trained with the Ukrainian’s camp prior to his bout with Jake Paul, and Lapin once again played a key corner role during the Jeddah fight night.