Anthony Joshua: ‘This win was for Latz and Sina’

Anthony Joshua dedicated his dramatic second-round knockout victory over Kristian Prenga in Jeddah to his late strength coach Sina Ghami and personal trainer Latif Ayodele — killed in a Nigerian car crash in December — after recovering from two first-round knockdowns, with promoter Eddie Hearn confirming contracts for a Joshua-Fury fight have been signed, according to NAN.

FOR LATZ. FOR SINA. AJ RISES FROM THE CANVAS AND DELIVERS

Anthony Joshua entered the ring in Jeddah carrying more than a game plan. He carried grief.

The Nigerian-British heavyweight dedicated his fight against Kristian Prenga to his late coaches Sina Ghami and Latif “Latz” Ayodele, killed in a car crash in Nigeria in December, wearing camouflage attire bearing their names as he made his ring walk.

What followed was one of the most emotionally charged performances of his career. Joshua was knocked down twice in the opening three minutes by the Albanian challenger — a dramatic early shock — before roaring back to stop Prenga in the second round and keep his heavyweight ambitions firmly alive.

“It was more than punch power. That was Spirit, that was Latz, that was Sina and their families. It still hurts to talk about it. It’s been tough,” Joshua told reporters after the fight.

Promoter Eddie Hearn was equally emotional in his assessment: “No one can imagine what Anthony has been through in the last seven months. To even step into the ring was astonishing.”

Hearn confirmed that contracts for the long-awaited clash between Joshua and Tyson Fury have been signed, though date and venue are yet to be announced. Fury, who defeated 46-year-old Mariusz Wach in Thailand on Friday, did not attend the Jeddah bout.

Joshua issued a direct message to his incoming opponent: “I respect everything he has achieved, but this is the fight we’ve been calling for, and now we’re here. I’ve learnt that I can’t be stopped, I won’t be denied, and we’re coming.”