By Daily Sports Nigeria on July 10, 2026

Kristian Prenga and Mariusz Wach have both vowed to derail the long-awaited showdown between Anthony Joshua and Tyson Fury, insisting they intend to spoil the party before the British rivals can meet in the ring, PUNCH Sports Extra reports.

Negotiations for a fight between British-Nigerian Joshua and Fury have played out in public for months, and the two are expected to finally meet before the end of 2026, but only if Joshua gets past Prenga in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, on July 25, and Fury overcomes Wach in Thailand a day earlier, on July 24.

Prenga, 35, who holds a record of 20 wins, one loss and 20 knockouts, said he was relishing being cast aside in the Joshua-Fury saga.

“I do not think it has offended me, but I am happy because they underestimated me,” he told DAZN.

“I do not think it is a good idea he makes plans to fight Tyson Fury. I like only God to make my plans. I do not want to make plans for myself because if I do, it is as if I want to go on top of God, and I cannot do that. God is first. He makes the plans, and I think I am going to break his plan for me.”

Wach, the 46-year-old Polish veteran, struck a similar note of defiance ahead of his own assignment against Fury in a 10-round bout at the Max Muay Thai Stadium in Pattaya.

“I am very serious in every professional fight,” he told talkSPORT.com.

“I have lost a few fights recently, but I will do my best to stop Tyson Fury vs Anthony Joshua from happening. I imagine this will be the hardest fight of my career. I train and prepare for this fight as if it is. I think Tyson Fury will not be 100 per cent prepared for this fight because he is thinking about the fight with Joshua. I hope he is very focused on making the Netflix series and that it affects his preparation.

Joshua, who has a record of 29 wins, four losses and 26 knockouts, has already suffered one monumental upset in his career. In June 2019, Andy Ruiz Jr altered the course of heavyweight boxing history when he got off the canvas to knock out Joshua in the seventh round of their bout at Madison Square Garden in New York.

Prenga has never faced anybody remotely comparable to Joshua, who, despite being 36 years old, remains one of the most high-profile fighters in the sport. Joshua’s last meaningful win came in December 2023, when he forced Otto Wallin to retire in the fifth round, and he has not fought a genuine top heavyweight since Daniel Dubois, the reigning WBO champion, knocked him out in five rounds in September 2024.

“I do not think he is the best heavyweight in the world, but he is a great fighter. I think he has a lot of flaws,” Prenga said of Joshua. “It is not going to go 10 rounds or 12 rounds.”

For his part, Wach is no stranger to Fury’s game, having sparred with the Mancunian in 2018, and has previously fought a who’s who of notable heavyweights including Wladimir Klitschko, Dillian Whyte, Moses Itauma and Alexander Povetkin. The Wach fight is designed to prepare Fury for the all-British showdown with Joshua, and most observers see it as a formality, with the Pole having lost seven of his last ten fights. Wach, however, insisted he does not see it that way.

“Tyson is a very good fighter. For me, he is a top three fighter in the world,” Wach said.

“Tyson is a big fighter, he has very good legs, he has good balance, he is dynamic, he is fast, he is very strong. For me, it is a big honour. Tyson Fury could have chosen any fighter in the world to fight. Any fighter in the world would have fought him. But it was me, so it is a big honour for me. I am not afraid of Tyson, I am not afraid of the heat and humidity.”

Source Punch Ng

Posted July 10, 2026

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