Anthony Joshua, after survivng Prenga crisis, dismisses concern about his punch resistance

Anthony Joshua defeated Kristian Prenga in the second round in Saudi Arabia on Saturday, the finishing right hand a vintage blow from the heavy-hitting former heavyweight beltholder. But it was what came before, a near-disastrous opening three minutes in which Joshua was floored twice, that triggered the most telling question in the post-fight press conference.

Prenga, 20-2 (20 KOs), was thought to have no chance against the vastly more experienced Joshua, 30-4 (27 KOs). But he landed a right uppercut within the first 30 seconds that had Joshua down and, despite crafting a smile of sorts upon rising, in serious trouble.

Though Joshua survived the crisis to end matters as expected, it left many wondering how the 36-year-old would fare against better opposition.

“Boxing history will tell you that power is the last thing that goes [in an aging fighter], I think you showed that,” Wally Downes of The Sun said to Joshua post-fight. “But the first thing to go is punch resistance, usually.

“We’ve seen your power is still there. But where is your punch resistance at the moment?”

Joshua, who was stopped by Daniel Dubois in five rounds in his most recent bout against a world class fighter two years ago, considered the question for a moment.

“I got back up,” he said in reference to the early knockdown he suffered against Prenga.

“That happened in, what, the first 20 seconds of round one? Got back up, took a beating, stood the storm, and come back in round two. Boxing’s not pretty.”

“But that’s your heart,” Downes countered.

“No, that’s resistance,” Joshua replied.

“Resistance is spirit. Resistance is durability. Resistance is everything combined. It’s not just one thing. Winning isn’t just one thing, it’s a whole heap of things.

“I showed you where I’m at. I showed you. I was in with someone who’s knocked out 20 people.

“He’s a strong guy. He’s definitely a strong guy and he hit me with a good uppercut.

“Boxing’s not pretty. If I expect to get in there and expect it to be pretty, I wouldn’t get back up because it would be out of my thought process.

“I know it’s gonna be tough in there. I know I’m gonna be up against livewires so… It’s not so much about resistance, it’s about [being] in the ring with strong, heavy-handed guys that are live and they want to come and win.

“Hit me with a good shot. So what? Roll it off, get up, take some more punches, keep going until it’s my turn.

“Let’s see who’s tough now. Let’s see who’s the bad boy. Let’s see who’s rough and ready. I come out on top.

“You need to be asking [Prenga] about his punch resistance. Don’t be asking me about my punch resistance. I’m sitting here victorious. You know what I mean?

“That’s how it is. That’s the fact of the matter. I am the one sitting here victorious so I ain’t the one with issues with my punch resistance.”