Kristian Prenga lashes out at Simon Jordan over Anthony Joshua conspiracy theory

Kristian Prenga has now responded to Simon Jordan's conspiracy theory that something was 'not quite right' during his defeat to Anthony Joshua.

Prenga stepped into the ring against the former unified champion on Saturday night in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, and almost pulled off one of the biggest upsets in boxing history.

The Albanian knocked Joshua down with a powerful right inside 20 seconds before knocking him to the canvas once more later in the round.

The 35-year-old couldn't continue the intensity and aggression he showed, as AJ was much improved in the second round and demonstrated his class.

Joshua delivered a brutal combination that sent Prenga through the ropes and ended the fight, wiping the sweat from his brow in the process.

Victory for the 36-year-old crucially teed up his long-awaited showdown against Tyson Fury later this year after he defeated Mariusz Wach in a behind-closed-doors clash in Pattaya, Thailand.

But even though the Briton produced an exceptional knockout blow after an early scare, Simon Jordan was one of several who issued a conspiracy theory after the fight.

Jordan couldn't believe how much Prenga's level dropped in the second round and suggested the fight was designed to rinse a maximum amount of money, referencing Fury's showdown with AJ.

"Not having that… #anthonyjoshua fight… Dropped twice and sets the tempo, how’s that?… Prenga totally different in 2nd," Jordan wrote on X.

"Something not quite right, all designed to rinse maximum amount of money."

The former Crystal Palace chairman has since somewhat backtracked on that verdict, stating: "It just didn't make sense to me and my first reaction was I don't like the look of this or the smell of this.

"But the more I listen to the corner work with Prenga, and what they were saying in the second round, 'take it easy, have a look at him first before you jump on him'.

"And it takes me down the pathway that maybe, maybe I was previously suggesting there was something amiss about this fight."

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Kristian Prenga responds to Simon Jordan's comments

Jordan's original comments caused a huge stir among those involved in the showdown.

Matchroom Boxing CEO Frank Smith dismissed what the talkSPORT co-presenter said, and now Prenga has directly addressed those claims.

Speaking to SveaCasino, Prenga said: "What do I make of Simon Jordan’s comments? Completely false, and irresponsible for anyone to suggest it. AJ and I have integrity; we would never engage in this stupidity.

"I felt I needed to preserve energy and catch my breath, so I thought I would start slow and replenish my energy. Unfortunately, it didn't happen, and that slower pace allowed AJ to flip control of the fight to him."

Prenga confirmed that he was suffering from an illness before the right and missed multiple days of training because of it.

"What did I learn? Try not to get sick during training camp because you feel the difference from losing those training days and cardio workouts after the first round," he continued.

In terms of his future, Prenga is already weighing up his next fight, confirming that his manager is "talking" to the relevant people.

He said: "What does the future hold? My manager, Keith Sullivan, is a lawyer and boxing manager. He is talking to the right people and will plot a course forward.

"Maybe a fight in Albania, maybe back in Saudi Arabia. We have options to consider. Right now, for me, it is rest and letting Keith handle the business."