Could Anthony Joshua’s next match be a career turning point?

This Saturday, 25th July, former heavyweight boxing champion Anthony Joshua steps back into the ring for his first traditional match since September 2024. Barring a win over Jake Paul in 2025, the star has spent several months away from the professional circuit, a hiatus further compounded by a personal tragedy at the end of last year.

His upcoming bout with Kristian Prenga, however, looks to be a much-needed boost to his professional career to the point where it’s being nicknamed ‘The Comeback’ even before round one begins.

And, if the latest Anthony Joshua odds are anything to go by, the British legend seems to have the upper hand in the eyes of fans and bookmakers ahead of the bout. Could the match springboard the boxer back into the spotlight, or could his relatively obscure opponent pull off an upset?

A record worth upholding

Joshua remains one of the UK’s most exciting boxers for a reason. His fight record speaks volumes, currently sitting at 29-4 heading into Saturday’s match.

BoxRec, in fact, ranks Joshua as fourth in the country despite his lack of matches since fall 2024. He’s only outranked at present by the likes of Lawrence Okolie, Tyson Fury, and Dubois. Dubois, of course, knocked Joshua out in his last traditional fight, and fans are still clamoring for a dream fight against Fury to take place after years of speculation.

Winning Saturday’s fight against Prenga will tip Joshua’s record to 30-4, closing the gap on Fury’s statistics and allowing him to take one step closer to their much-hyped but as-yet-confirmed matchup. 

However, winning the fight against Prenga will mean more than just adding a notch to his record, as it will mark a serious turning point in a tumultuous year for the former champ. 

Bouncing back

Since Joshua’s loss to Dubois, he claimed headlines in late 2025 for beating YouTuber Jake Paul in the sixth round of a match many fans thought would be over sooner. Joshua agreed, to an extent, informing the press that he ‘needed to do better’.

“It’s a win, but it’s not a success,” the boxer said shortly after the Paul bout concluded, according to ESPN. “I can’t live off that win, I’ve got a lot of improvement I need to do.”

While Joshua has clearly spent some time self-reflecting ahead of coming back to the ring over the past two years, that time has also been tinged with tragedy. In late 2025, the star was involved in a car crash that claimed the lives of two friends.

 His reappearance on the professional circuit now, therefore, is being seen by many as a long-deserved opportunity to bounce back and retake the spotlight. And, current boxing odds seem to be working in Joshua’s favor, at least at the time of writing. 

Of course, even high-profile matches can be unpredictable, and Prenga’s knockout record and impressive hook are to be reckoned with. Will they be enough to stop the likes of Joshua, possibly the biggest star Prenga has fought so far, in his tracks? We will have to wait and see this coming Saturday.