Reporting note: this article draws on Sky Sports; LodiScore provides the summary and editorial framing.
Anthony Joshua Adds Weight Ahead of Kristian Prenga Bout
Anthony Joshua registered 251lbs on the scales in Jeddah on Friday, coming in 7.6lbs heavier than his previous outing against Jake Paul as he prepares to meet heavyweight puncher Kristian Prenga.
Joshua had scaled 243.4lbs when he defeated Paul in December 2025. The additional mass brings the former two-time unified champion closer to his career-high weight of 255.4lbs, set against Jermaine Franklin in April 2023. The physical posture suggests a calculated choice for leverage and punch resistance against an opponent whose record relies entirely on blunt force.
Kristian Prenga Holds 10.4lb Advantage
Albania's Kristian Prenga weighed in at 261.4lbs, establishing a 10.4lb size advantage over Joshua. The 35-year-old enters the ring with a single defeat across 21 professional bouts, having stopped his last 16 opponents by knockout or technical knockout.
"We're feeling good. It's going down tomorrow night in Jeddah," Joshua stated following the weigh-in.
Matchroom promoter Eddie Hearn emphasized the physical danger posed by Prenga's momentum. "[Prenga] isn't a guy coming in here with a bundle of defeats, coming for a payday," Hearn said. "He's got the whole of Albania behind him... We know what comes the other side; we've just got to deal with this guy tonight."
Preparation with Usyk's Camp and Division Context
Joshua's camp for this fixture incorporated direct work with Oleksandr Usyk's coaching setup. The structural shift focused on sustained output and execution under pressure.
"I'm quite good at what I do anyway," Joshua noted. "I'm quite strong. I can take, I can give, so sometimes I can just get away with doing enough... But these guys are like, 'nah'. They want to see more... Your greatness should just be something that you do every day in the gym."
The weigh-in followed action in Thailand, where Tyson Fury secured a seventh-round TKO victory over Mariusz Wach. Fury publicly questioned whether Joshua would handle Prenga's power on Saturday night, keeping heavyweight divisional stakes sharply focused on the Jeddah ring.