Is Anthony Joshua vs Kristian Prenga the Most Pointless Fight of 2026?

The huge all-British showdown between Anthony Joshua and Tyson Fury is earmarked for the end of the year. Yes, both are faded forces, and the bout should have happened years ago with a title on the line. Yes, it’s still going to generate bags of cash and gain worldwide interest.

Yet before all that happens, Joshua must come through his next bout unscathed. It only takes one punch in heavyweight boxing to alter the course of history. Could one of the biggest fights in British boxing history be put on ice permanently? Is this keep-busy fight going to be one of the biggest miscalculations the sport has seen?

Don’t worry, it’s only Kristian Prenga.

Who Is Kristian Prenga?

Ever since he won gold at the London 2012 Olympics, the career of Anthony Joshua (29-4, 26 KOs) has been well-documented. The way he blitzed through his early opposition. Coming through the titanic up-and-down tussle with modern heavyweight great Wladimir Klitschko. The shock loss to Andy Ruiz Jr. before reclaiming his unified titles.

Now 36 years of age, Joshua’s best days are firmly behind him. The consecutive losses to Oleksandr Usyk poured cold water on his title prospects, while the crunching knockout to Daniel Dubois sent his career to the Arctic. More tentative, less punch resistance, those well-documented stamina issues – few would back him to become a three-time world champion.

Still, he did both the boxing and meme world a favor when bashing up Jake Paul.

Now, what about Kristian Prenga? Well, there’s not a whole lot to go off. Prenga (20-1, 20 KOs) has an impressive record on paper, but boxing fans know that’s worth little. Padding against no-hopers can give anyone a record like Rocky Marciano… Which is much like Marciano’s early record. Prenga, 35, has been based in New Jersey in recent years, punching up journeymen and club fighters.

The most notable name on Prenga’s record is Joey Dawejko, a durable name that’s on the L side against up-and-comers. Prenga stopped Dawejko in the fifth round. However, it wasn’t a highlight reel KO – the contest was halted following Dawejko complaining of an injury to his left bicep.

What’s the Point of the Fight?

It’s what many in boxing are asking. Go to Spin Casino, and you expect a near 50/50 chance of winning a blackjack hand. That’s the type of contest fans want to see. To see an upset in Joshua vs Prenga, it’s like hoping for one of the casino’s jackpot slots to land.

Even with the nature of heavyweight boxing, Prenga’s punch power (on paper), Joshua being a faded force, nobody is giving the little-known Albanian a chance. Not the bookies, not the pundits, not the fans.

Considering this is laughably propped up as a DAZN PPV main event, it could well be classed as the most pointless fight of 2026. People just want to see Fury-Joshua. Although after waiting around a decade for the bout to materialize, another few months won’t be too bad for the most patient fans in sport.