Christian Prenghi’s boxing hero is an English fighter who won the world heavyweight title decades before Saturday’s opponent, Albanian Anthony Joshua.
Lennox Lewis is Prenga’s main inspiration and once spoke to him on FaceTime, according to the 10/1 long shot against the fighter known as AJ.
When Prengo pulls off a shocker, he catapults into contention to become one of Lewis and Joshua successors as famous titleholders.
Here’s a look at Prenga boxing record, what he said about the fight and key details of his fight with Joshua.
Christian Preng’s record: Boxing knockout artist
A debutant in Munich in 2016, Prenga won his first four fights, all of them in Germany.
Preng’s next bout was his only loss, an eight-round decision loss to Giovanni Auriemma in the Netherlands, where he spent two years sparring with kickboxers.
He then went on to win five fights in Canada and one in Colombia before his current 10-fight winning streak, all of which came in the United States.
Only two of Preng’s fights have gone past the fourth round, knocking out his opponents in the first round seven times, including each of his last three.
| Wins (KO) | Defeats (KO) |
| 20 (20) | 1 (0) |
Christian Prenga vs Anthony Joshua: What Prenga says
“I’ve worked my whole life for this,” reflects the 35-year-old, who credits his father’s training in boxing and instilling in him the “mentality” and “discipline” needed to succeed in the sport.
“I’ve been waiting my whole life for this and I hope to show the world (it).
“Every boxer has his flaws and weaknesses in the ring, whoever you are. I saw everything.
“I have a lot of respect for Anthony Joshua; I grew up watching all his fights. I’ve seen his weaknesses and what he does best. I’ll show exactly what I’ve been paying attention to.”
Prenga vs. Joshua: Boxing Fight ‘Exposed’
Preng’s trainer, Sammy Lushai, told how he met his fighter almost six years ago.
“He walked into the gym where I worked out,” Lushai told DAZN. “That’s how we met.
“I was wearing an Albania shirt with a flag and he saw me, walked away from everyone, came over and said hello.
“I said, ‘Wow, it’s Christian Prengo.’ We kept in touch and have been friends ever since.
“He’s like a little brother to me – I’ve been with him in every fight, most practices and all the camps.”
Lushai says Prengo had a premonition that he would meet Joshua. “The last couple of years we’ve been talking about fights and stuff and he’s like, ‘I’m going to fight AJ,'” he explained.
“I was like, ‘OK.’ He kept bringing it up, over and over again. Then when he got that call, I was with him and we came to practice.
“I was like, ‘Really?’ I guess he just manifested it.’
Anthony Joshua vs. Christian Prengi: “The Real Challenge”
Joshua called Preng “very dangerous” and “a very good fighter.”
“I believe in it, I know it, I’ve studied it and I’m ready for it,” said the 36-year-old, who has 29 wins and four losses.
“We chose Christian Prenga for a reason,” said promoter Eddie Hearn. “He is a real challenge.
“He’s got a country behind him and an opportunity to turn his life around. He can swim with the big boys and we’ll see if he needs armbands or not.
“If he doesn’t, it’s going to be a real fight. If he does, it’s going to be over very quickly.”
When will Christian Prengo fight Anthony Joshua? The date of the fight
The event will take place on Saturday, July 25, 2026 in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
Anthony Joshua vs Christian Prenga start time
The fight is expected to start at around 11pm BST on Saturday. Here’s how it translates in different territories.
| Date | BST | ET | PT |
| Sat, July 25 | 23:00 | 18:00 | 15:00 |
Where to watch Joshua vs. Preng: TV channel
The fight is exclusively live DAZN pay per view. Broadcast starts at 18:00 BST (13:00 ET / 10:00 PT)
Anthony Joshua vs Christian Prenga live stream: watch the fight online
Fans can watch on a variety of devices and on the go with a dedicated DAZN app.
Joshua vs Preng: How much is DAZN worth?
Subscribers can purchase the fight as a one-off pay-per-view, which will also include an eight-day free trial of DAZN to include the Pierce O’Leary vs. Mark Chamberlain fight on August 1 for UK and US buyers.
Customers in the US and Canada who purchase a one-time pay-per-view will be able to watch Lamont Roach Jr. vs. William Zepeda on August 1st.
Alternatively, viewers can buy the DAZN Ultimate Tier subscription package, which includes a minimum of 12 pay-per-view fights per year, including Joshua vs. Preng, as well as 185 regular fights.
Here’s how much each package costs.
| PPV | Final level | |
| Great Britain | £19.99 (one off) | £24.99 (monthly) |
| USA | $59.99 (one time) | $44.99 (monthly) |
Anthony Joshua vs. Christian Preng Undercard: Full Fight List
There are five fights on the undercard:
- Hamza Shiraz vs. Simon Zachenhuber
- Josh Kelly vs. Kevin Agyarko
- Reita Tsutsumi vs. Alvin Herrera
- Jacob Bank v. Paul Augustus
- Nishant Dev vs. Cesar Diaz
Here are the approximate times each fight is scheduled to start in the various territories.
| To fight | British time | And fear | PT time |
| Joshua vs Preng | 23:00 | 18:00 | 15:00 |
| Shiraz vs. Sachenhuber | 21:40 | 16:40 | 13:40 |
| Kelly v. Agyarko | 20:37 | 15:37 | 12:37 p.m |
| Tsutsumi vs. Herrera | 19:43 | 14:43 | 11:43 |
| Bank v. August | 18:56 | 13:56 | 10:56 a.m |
| Dev vs. Diaz | 18:10 | 13:10 | 10:10 a.m |
Anthony Joshua’s next fight: Tyson Fury awaits
Joshua dismissed questions about fellow former world champion Fury but is expected to face the Mancunian later this year if both fighters win this week.
Fury, 37, will face Mariusz Wah, 46, in Thailand on Friday, and reports say the fighter known as the “Gypsy King” will then travel to Jeddah to watch Joshua.
“We don’t want to talk about Tyson Fury,” Joshua said, stressing his need to “focus” on knocking out Preng, an Albanian who has yet to face a fighter of Joshua’s pedigree.
“Sincerely, I’ve released all the media I can about what the future holds. Let’s focus on work.”
Image: Mark Robinson / Matchroom Boxing
