Anthony Joshua fights back tears as he pays tribute to ‘brothers’ killed in Nigeria car crash after Kristian Prenga win
EMOTIONAL Anthony Joshua fought back the tears after his stunning KO victory against Kristian Prenga. The Brit was back in the boxing ring just months after his close friends Latif “Latz” Ayodele and recovery therapist Sina Ghami were killed in a car crash involving the three of them. And tonight in Jeddah, AJ survived a real scare to deliver a stunning second-round KO of the tough Albanian. And in doing so, he secured a mammoth payday for the £100m super-fight against age-old British rival Tyson Fury. Speaking in the ring after the Saudi scrap, Joshua said: “I am a serious fighter and I know what to do around the ring. “He [Prenga] gave me a good test but we got up and that’s what champions do. READ MORE IN SPORT “That was more than power – that was Sina and Latz and family. I can’t even talk about it. “It’s been tough…” AJ then took a moment to compose himself before deciding to move things back to fighting talk. He continued: “They were my brothers – I don’t want to talk about it. Most read in Sport BEST ONLINE CASINOS – TOP SITES IN THE UK Anthony Joshua vs Kristian Prenga - all the info Anthony Joshua has BEATEN Kristian Prenga in his comeback fight British hero Anthony Joshua is back and has KNOCKED OUT Kristian Prenga inside TWO rounds. In a thrilling encounter, AJ was knocked down TWICE in the opening round by the Albanian. However, he recovered well and delivered a devastating knockout in the next round to secure the win on his return. With the win, Joshua now sets up the biggest fight in the history of British boxing against Tyson Fury at the end of the year. SUNSPORT WILL ALSO LIVE BLOG THE ENTIRE CARD LATEST NEWS - Anthony Joshua BEATS Kristian Prenga to rescue Tyson Fury fight - Joshua vs Prenga LIVE COVERAGE - Joshua fights back tears as he pays tribute to ‘brothers’ killed in car crash - AJ vs Fury date and venue all but confirmed in massive snub to Brits VIDEO *If you click on a link in this story, we will earn affiliate revenue. “I learned I cannot be stopped or denied. I am coming, trust me.” The 36-year-old London 2012 icon was robbed of right-hand men Sina and Latif when the car they were travelling down a lawless Nigerian motorway smashed into a giant truck. The right-hand side of the vehicle – carrying AJ’s pals in the front passenger and rear seats – was obliterated. Miraculously the left side ended up almost untouched, allowing the driver to shamelessly escape and Joshua to somehow walk away, with damaged ribs the only physical pain. And tonight in his big comeback fight, Joshua did his late friends proud – albeit after climbing off the canvas TWICE. The 36-year-old was supposed to chin the unknown Albanian Prenga in Jeddah but he was folded by the first punch of the shocking night and it almost finished him off. Fury won the night before in Thailand and stood his old rival up in Jeddah. But he will be laughing all the way to the bank now the overdue clash looks set for New York and AJ’s chin looks like a class target for him. Joshua jabbed high and low and was then clipped and dropped inside the first 20 seconds. He was tagged with a short uppercut on the inside and folded for an eight count. And he fell down again for another count and a shocking 10-7 opening round. After his new Ukrainian team soaked him with water, AJ came out throwing right hands and saved his career with the first one that really landed. He backed 35-year-old Prenga into a corner and rendered him senseless with a brutal right hand. It was a career saving fight and he climbed to the top of the ropes to tell the shaking crowd to calm down and book their tickets for the Fury showdown. In a wild 24 hours, the World Cup final of British boxing was secured thanks to semi-final clashes in Pattaya, Thailand and Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. And – in one final kick in the balls for English fight fans already reeling from being robbed by Thomas Tuchel’s expensive tinkering in America – we’re heading back there for this overdue all-British boxing bonanza. Madison Square Garden – not Wembley nor Cardiff – is now the front runner to host the Watford versus Morecambe showdown.