At the Jeddah Superdome in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, Eddie Hearn’s Matchroom Boxing headlined a three-fight world title card, topped by Anthony Joshua’s stunning second-round victory over Kristian Prenga.
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Former two-time heavyweight champion and 2012 Olympic gold medalist Anthony “AJ” Joshua (30-4, 27 KOs) stopped former NABA champion Kristian Prenga (20-2, 20 KOs) at 2:43 of the second round of their 12-round co-main event.
Prenga surprised Joshua in the first round, dropping him with a short right uppercut that forced referee Luis Pabon to issue an eight count. Joshua survived the round and came back strong in the second, landing a series of punches starting with a right hand to the chin before dropping Prenga for the count.
Sheeraz Retains WBO Title
WBO super middleweight champion Hamzah “Muhammad” Sheeraz (24-0-1, 19 KOs) retained his title with a majority decision over Simon Zachenhuber (29-2, 18 KOs).
Sheeraz dominated the first laps and opened up Zachenhuber’s nose in the third. He continued to challenge in the sixth round before Zachenhuber rallied to take the seventh and eighth in a flurry of work.
Sheeraz once again dominated the championship rounds and closed out the fight firmly to earn the decision. The judges scored it 114-114, 115-113, and 116-112.
Kelly Defends IBF Belt
IBF super welterweight champion Josh “Pretty Boy” Kelly (19-1-1, 9 KOs) defeated Caoimhin “Black Thunder” Agyarko (18-1, 7 KOs) by unanimous decision over 12 rounds.
Kelly won the first few rounds before Agyarko began to find success with his jab. An accidental clash of heads left Kelly with a cut under his left eye in the fifth round. After repeated warnings for being punched in the back of the head, referee Ignatius Missailidis deducted one point from Kelly in the sixth.
The champion also suffered cuts below his right eye, across the bridge of his nose, and on his forehead. Despite finishing the fight with blood on his face, Kelly held on to win by scores of 114-113 and 115-112 twice.
Undercard results
Reito Tsutsumi (5-0, 4 KOs) stopped Alvino Herrera (18-1-2, 11 KOs) 28 seconds into the second round. Tsutsumi scored two knockdowns in the opening round before ending the fight with a knockout in the second.
Jacob Bank (20-0, 11 KOs) earned an eight-round decision over Pawel August (18-1, 10 KOs). Banks dominated the fight with sharp uppercuts and accurate punching, winning all three rounds on the card, 80-72.
Oleksandr Khyzhniak (2-0, 2 KOs) stopped Lenny Patrach (8-1-1, 5 KOs) in the second round after scoring two knockdowns.
Nishant Dev (7-0, 5 KOs) stopped Cesar Diaz (10-3, 5 KOs) in the opening round after dropping him three times.
Mikie Tallon (15-0, 4 KOs) knocked out Orlando Pino (17-4, 11 KOs) in the first round with a broken body shot.
Ziyad Zizo Almaayout (8-1-1, 1 KO) won an eight-round decision over Frank Lucian Mango (8-2, 5 KOs). Almaayout scored two knockdowns before surviving his own to secure a 78-71 and 77-72 victory twice.
Mohammed Alakel (9-0, 3 KOs) stopped Lydon Chircop (8-5, 4 KOs) in the fifth round after hurting him repeatedly with body shots.
Sultan Almohammed (5-0, 4 KOs) stopped Efren Besalduch (3-4-1, 1 KO) in the third round following a body shot and a finishing left hook.
Omar Hikal (2-0, 1 KO) defeated Brian Castellano (2-2) by unanimous decision in four rounds after scoring a third-round knockout. All three judges scored the match 40-35.
Mahmoud Mabrouk (1-0) won a four-round unanimous decision over Bryan Zapata (5-9-1, 4 KOs). The judges scored it 39-37 and 40-36 twice.
The event featured Thomas Treiber as the ring announcer, with Michael Buffer handling the main event introductions.
