Anthony Joshua reignited his long-running rivalry with Tyson Fury after knocking out Kristian Prenga, issuing a fierce warning to his fellow Brit moments after his dramatic victory.
The former two-time heavyweight champion made a successful return to the ring on Saturday, just months after surviving a devastating car accident in Nigeria that claimed the lives of two members of his inner circle – Latif Ayodele and Sina Ghami.
Speculation over a long-awaited showdown between Joshua and Fury had dominated the build-up to the fight.
The British heavyweights had agreed to face each other later this year, provided they both came through their respective tune-up bouts.
Fury fulfilled his part of the bargain on Friday by forcing veteran Mariusz Wach to retire on his stool after the seventh round.
Joshua, however, endured an early scare against Prenga when he was floored within seconds of the opening round.
Although he regained his feet, the former champion looked unsteady before surviving the round. He responded emphatically in the second, taking control of the contest before knocking out the Albanian to seal an impressive comeback victory.
After the fight, Joshua searched the arena for Fury but discovered that his rival was not in attendance.
The 36-year-old then delivered a fiery message, borrowing the famous words Mike Tyson once directed at Lennox Lewis.
“Wait a minute – have we got Tyson Fury in the room? Wait, wait, wait, to more important matters – is he here or not? Fair do’s. Imma rip his heart out. I’m the meanest and vicious champion’s ever been,” he said.
“Listen, all jokes aside, you see, there’s two sides of this thing. One is fire. You have to have that vim, that grrr. But also respect. I respect everything he has done. And everything that he has achieved. As someone who who has been calling for the fight for a long time, we’re here now. Shout out to his Excellency. Shout to Eddie Hearn for making these opportunities possible, and I hope the fans will be in for a lovely treat.”
