Anthony Joshua has told talkSPORT his ‘tough’ victory over Kristian Prenga on Saturday night was not ‘because of personal reasons.’The British heavyweight boxing star was dropped twice en route to victory over Prenga in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, with a blockbuster against Tyson Fury now lined up next.Joshua was put on his back just 20 seconds into his comeback fight against PrengaGettyBut he came firing back in the second round to stop the Albanian after seven months out of the ringGettyJoshua, who forced teammate Oleksandr Usyk to breathe a huge sigh of relief when he was knocked down, was returning to the ring for the first time since his involvement in a tragic car crash.Just 10 days after knocking out Jake Paul in Miami on December 19, 2025, a vehicle ‘AJ’ was travelling in collided with a stationary truck near Lagos, Nigeria, killing two close friends Sina Ghami and Latif Ayodele.Joshua had said in the build-up to his fight with Prenga that the memories of Ghami and Ayodele were fuel for his goal to become undisputed heavyweight champion before he retires.‘Always a potential banana skin’And although his late friends would’ve doubtless been in his mind heading into his comeback, Joshua explained that the mental scars he’s had to overcome in the last seven months were not at the epicentre of his performance.“Let’s talkSPORT, baby, let’s talkSPORT. That’s what it’s all about,” a joyful Joshua told talkSPORT’s Spencer Oliver moments after his victory.“I’m not going to bring personal, I don’t bring my personal life into this, but maybe it does have an effect on your subconscious.“But no, I try and separate the two of them, to be honest. But let’s not say the reasons why it was a tough fight was because of personal reasons.“Prenga is a good fighter. He came and showed what he’s about. So I think Eddie [Hearn’s] gonna give him a contract and try and sign him now.“He’s got a massive fan base. He’s got potential. And I wanna see him do well. I think he’s got a lot of potential.”Joshua continued: “Things happen. And it’s so funny because it’s like when you’re on the brink of something big, there’s always a potential banana skin.View Tweet: https://x.com/hashtag/OLearyChamberlain?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5EtfwJoshua told talkSPORT the Fury fight is nextAFP“But I give credit to Prenga. I give credit to Prenga. My team were looking at me like this guy.“But I give credit to Prenga. He came, he wanted to conquer. Strong guy, very strong guy.“The powers of recovery are down to [my team]. Honestly, they work me hard.“And I’ve always said, like, last time I was here [in Saudi Arabia against Francis Ngannou], I went crazy because I was like, I need to do more, I need to push myself.“So times like this, I’m able to bounce back, no problem, I feel fresh.”Asked about fighting Fury, who decided to fly home to the Isle of Man rather than attending Joshua’s fight after defeating Polish veteran Mariusz Wach in Thailand on Friday, AJ had a short message for his fans.Joshua was full of respect for Prenga after his winGettyHe expects the Fury fight to be nextAFP“It’s happening next, let’s go!” he said.Saudi boxing chief Turki Alalshikh had teased an imminent announcement for Fury vs Joshua last week if both men got through their warm-up fights successfully.Promoter Hearn wants the fight to take place on British soil — a stipulation he claims was in the original contract signed by Joshua.However, others reportedly involved with booking the fight, such as UFC CEO Dana White and partners TKO Group Holdings, are pushing for it to happen in America.Watch Boxing on DAZN*If you click a link in this boxout, we will earn affiliate revenueSign up to DAZN to access the definitive subscription for boxing fans.Upgrade to DAZN Ultimate from just £24.99/month, guaranteeing access to 185+ fights annually, a minimum of 12 pay-per-views at no extra cost, as well as every Lega Serie A match and other elite football access.Alternatively, DAZN Standard is just £15.99/month, with the caveat you will have to pay for pay-per-view events.Click here to sign up.