Anthony Joshua Calls Kristian Prenga His World Championship Fight

Former heavyweight champion says Saturday’s fight means everything because victory earns the opportunities he is chasing.

Anthony Joshua says he is treating Saturday’s DAZN PPV fight with Kristian Prenga like a world title bout rather than a routine comeback. Joshua believes victory is the only route to the bigger heavyweight fights he wants next.

Joshua described the bout as the only priority on his mind, refusing to look beyond the task in front of him.

“I’ve been given an opportunity. Say if you beat this guy, you move up in the ranks, you get a great opportunity. My whole focus is now channeled into this opportunity of beating Prenga,” said Joshua to talkSPORT Boxing.

“I say it like this. Imagine you worked in a car dealership and the boss said, ‘If you sell this Range Rover, you get a promotion.’ Even though that promotion is more money, more control, a big opportunity, you don’t overlook selling this Range Rover. That’s your main focus.

“That carrot they’ve put in front of me has given me a lot of motivation.”

Later in the interview, Joshua, 36, returned to the same theme when asked about his plans beyond Saturday, refusing to look any further than the task in front of him.

“Saturday, world championship level fight. Got to get the victory, then I get the promotion. I’m going to speak to my team. When do they think it’s good to get back in the gym, start preparing again?” said Joshua.

“This is my world championship fight. It means a lot, this fight on Saturday, for many reasons.”

The former heavyweight champion has repeatedly talked about improving since linking up with Oleksandr Usyk for training. He believes his preparation has reached another level, though he insists none of that will make a difference unless he produces the performance he expects against Prenga. Victory, in Joshua’s view, is simply the first requirement before any larger goals become relevant.

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