British heavyweight boxer Anthony Joshua is set to return to the ring on Saturday in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, against Albania's Kristian Prenga.
The bout marks his first contest since a tragic car crash in December 2025 that killed two of his close friends and team members.
>>> US House Passes Nonbinding Resolution to End Iran Hostilities
The former two-time world champion sustained minor injuries on December 29, 2025, near Lagos, Nigeria, when his vehicle collided with a parked truck.
The crash claimed the lives of Sina Ghami, his long-time sport rehabilitation coach, and Latif Ayodele, a personal trainer.
Emotional Journey and Documentary
Joshua's upcoming fight is his first since his victory over Jake Paul just days before the accident, and his first competitive match since losing to Daniel Dubois at Wembley Stadium in September 2024.
Ahead of his return, DAZN and VOXY Media House released a 30-minute documentary titled "The Come Back," which details his training camp and emotional journey following the tragedy.
Joshua expressed the emotional difficulty of coping with the loss while maintaining his training schedule. "It's tough, every time I think about it, it hurts," he said.
The boxer acknowledged that keeping his mind active has helped him process the situation. "Even talking about it now...
pictures… it hurts but I keep my mind occupied you know," said Joshua.
Joshua noted that he is delaying fully confronting the tragedy until after his competitive commitments.
"If I stop, you let it sink in and I'm not ready for it to sink in yet," he said.
