Albanian heavyweight Kristian Prenga has issued a bold warning to British-Nigerian Anthony Joshua, promising to deliver something the former world champion has never felt in the ring when the pair meet in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, on July 25.

Speaking at a press conference ahead of the bout, the 20-1 (20 knockouts) Prenga, who is based in New Jersey, made clear his intention to cause an upset despite being widely regarded as the underdog.

“I train hard, I am ready. I promise you, if I catch you, you’ve never felt anything like my punch. I promise it. You’re a great fighter, but in the ring, I don’t have respect for nobody,” Prenga said.

The 35-year-old, who stands six feet five inches tall, has been in devastating form in recent years. Though he suffered an eight-round points defeat early in his career to the then 1-2 Giovanni Auriemma, only one of his next 15 opponents made it past the third round — Joey Dawejko, who survived to the fifth.

“I think I’m going to shock the world,” Prenga added.

His manager, Keith Sullivan, backed that sentiment, claiming that Matchroom Boxing had made a “miscalculation” with Joshua and that Prenga was “coming for it all.”

Prenga also said being underestimated worked in his favour and spoke of his belief that the outcome was in God’s hands.

“Being underestimated is actually a positive thing for me. Planning before is trying to be bigger than God, and no one is. You’ve got to go with God’s plans, and then you will become a winner. On July 25, I will show it’s God’s plans,” he said.

The Albanian admitted he was initially shocked to receive the call for such a high-profile fight.

“When my manager called me, he said, ‘You’re going to have a big opportunity, you can fight with AJ.’ First, I didn’t believe it. But I said, ‘Let’s go.’ It’s my time now. I respect him. He’s a great fighter. I watched him from the first fight, always. I grew up with him, but everything he has — I think now is my time. I need to show the world. I’m going to do my best. I promise,” Prenga said.

Joshua, for his part, has declared he is mentally and physically stronger than ever as he prepares for his comeback. The two-time world champion, who has not fought since December 2025, told Sky Sports that boxing had given him renewed purpose following the tragic deaths of two friends in a car accident in Nigeria late last year.

“I feel solid. This is where I want to be. I’m very grateful for this opportunity. It’s nice doing what I love,” Joshua said.

“I’m building myself up to be stronger than I’ve ever been — not only physically, because that’s natural, but mentally. I’ve realised I’m a lot stronger than I ever thought I was.”

Joshua also cautioned against reading too much into the signing of a deal for a subsequent fight with Tyson Fury, insisting only victory would bring him satisfaction.

“I’m not pleased because the pleasure really comes after victory. Signing a contract doesn’t mean anything. Winning is the only true success,” he said.

Fury is targeting a warm-up fight on August 1 in Dublin ahead of their expected November clash.