Anthony Joshua has come under fire for his decision to face Kristian Prenga by a promoter.
Joshua will return to the ring against unknown Albanian, Prenga on July 25 in Riyadh.
The announcement on Monday came moments after Turki Alalshikh revealed that Joshua and Tyson Fury had signed to fight each other later this year.
Their long-awaited battle now hinges on ‘AJ’ overcoming Prenga, who has won 20 of his 21 bouts, all by knockout.
However, promoter Lou DiBella has slammed the Brit’s fight and insists Prenga doesn’t belong in the same ring as the two-time heavyweight world champion.
“He shouldn’t be in the ring with a doorman,” DiBella said on The Ariel Helwani Show.
“That’s what Kristian Prenga is.
“He’s physically strong.
“He’s just like a doorman at a nightclub kind of guy, but you wouldn’t want to hit flush by him if you weren’t looking.
“The kid can punch if you’re slow.
“If you don’t see him and he telegraphs a punch and it lands, he might hurt you.
“But does he belong near Anthony Joshua?
“He doesn’t belong in the same gym, the same country, in a sparring session.”
Joshua will fight for the first time since a sixth round stoppage win over Jake Paul in December.
10 days after knocking out Paul, the 36-year-old was involved in a fatal car crash while on holiday in Nigeria, which killed two of his close friends.
The Londoner has returned to training in Spain alongside former rival and current unified titlist, Oleksandr Usyk.
“It’s no secret I’ve taken some time to consolidate and rebuild to be ready for stepping back into the ring and today is the next step on that journey,” Joshua said.
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“I’m delighted to have agreed a multi-fight deal starting with July 25th in the kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
“I’m looking forward to competing and picking up where I left off.
“As I said. The landlord will collect his rent. That is certain.”
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