Tyson Fury has been sent a defiant message as Kristian Prenga has revealed how hard Anthony Joshua hits following their two-round clash.

Both Fury and Joshua emerged victorious from their respective tune-up fights ahead of their blockbuster showdown this year.

Fury beat Polish veteran Mariusz Wach in Thailand, with Joshua surviving a huge scare against Prenga 24 hours later in Saudi Arabia.

‘AJ’ came off the canvas not once but twice in the first round before turning things around in the second round to secure a devastating knockout victory in his return bout following the fatal car accident that killed two of his close friends.

Kristian Prenga on Anthony Joshua’s Power

Credit: REUTERS/Ibraheem Abu Mustafa

After getting off the floor and returning to his corner, Joshua buzzed Prenga with a big right hand before unleashing a flurry of shots to drop his opponent through the ropes.

Prenga failed to beat the count and subsequently suffered the first defeat of his professional career since 2017, having previously won 16 fights in a row.

Speaking after his defeat, Prenga hailed Joshua’s power, claiming he had never experienced anything like it before.

Joshua has won an impressive 27 fights inside the distance, stopping the likes of Dillian Whyte, Wladimir Klitschko and Francis Ngannou.

Given the nature of of his latest outing, fans and critics alike, including Lennox Lewis, believe the former world champion is past his best, but Prenga does not subscribe to that notion, saying: “It’s not true.”

Kristian Prenga: ‘Anthony Joshua is Not an Easy Fight for Tyson Fury’

Joshua is on a two-fight winning streak since being knocked out by Daniel Dubois at Wembley Stadium in September 2024.

He defeated Jake Paul in a money-spinning showdown on Netflix before stopping Prenga in Jeddah last month.

Having shared the ring with Joshua, the Albanian knockout artist believes the 36-year-old Brit is still a great fighter and promised Fury it wouldn’t be an easy fight.

“Joshua is a great fighter. He has experience. He has power and I know he went through a lot in his life – as we all know,” he added. “But it’s not an easy fight for Tyson Fury. I promise you.”

Fury, meanwhile, has two wins under his belt since losing back-to-back world title bouts to Oleksandr Usyk.

The self-proclaimed ‘Gypsy King’ returned to winning ways against Arslanbek Makhmudov in April before taking out Wach last month.

The all-British battle has yet to be officially announced but is set to take place in America, with New York City’s iconic Madison Square Garden in line to host it.

Celtic are now said to have agreed a deal to sign Paderborn midfielder Mika Baur after weeks of negotiations. The Bhoys had a slow start to the summer transfer window, but they are now playing catch-up against an all-important deadline on Thursday.

That’s not the transfer deadline, but it is the deadline to register squads ahead of the Champions League qualifying play-offs. The Bhoys face Austrian champions LASK on August 18 and 25, and any players not registered before Thursday will not be able to play in those games.

Celtic are wrapping up a deal for Real Oviedo winger Haissem Hassan ahead of that deadline, but the Egypt World Cup winner is not the only arrival. The Hoops are now closing in on a deal for midfielder Baur.

Paderborn have been holding out amid interest from Celtic this summer, with the midfielder having been important in their promotion-winning campaign of last. Now in Bundesliga, Paderborn were willing to use Baur in the final year of his contract and lose him for free if their value was not met, and Celtic have not been able to get around it.

The Bhoys are also not helped by the fact Arne Engels will likely go for £25million this summer, and the footballing world knows it, so they are not going to be granted any discounts.

But aware they need reinforcements ahead of the Champions League qualifiers, Celtic have now struck a deal, and at a million or so above what Baur was expected to cost.

German journalist Florian Plettenberg posted on X: “EXCL | Mika Baur to Celtic – DONE DEAL. Full agreement reached with SC Paderborn. Transfer fee: €8m all-in. Record sale. Contract until 2031. The 22 y/o central midfielder is now on his way with his agents. Transfer set to go through, pending medical and contract signing.”

Celtic’s current midfield crop

• Benjamin Nygren
• Odin Thiago Holm
• Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain
• Arne Engels
• Sean McArdle
• Callum McGregor

Celtic are still in the market for further additions

Celtic are on their way to landing Baur, but they still need another midfielder in their bid to replace Engels this summer. Engels is vital for the Bhoys, and he has shown that in his first two games of the season.

The Belgian controls the tempo of the game and gives Celtic so much going forward by taking the ball and driving forward into the final third.

Celtic are not going to spend all of the £25million they are likely to receive from Engels, so it’s likely it will be a case of replacement by committee, and while Baur looks to be a good player, it’s likely it will take another midfield signing, although it’s likely that signing will not come until Engels is sold.

Celtic are currently looking to keep hold of Engels until after the Champions League qualifiers amid interest from West Ham and likely others.

Lionel Messi has broken his silence following the death of his father with an emotional statement in which he has hinted that he could retire from football soon.

Messi‘s father Jorge died last week at the age of 68 following a long illness, passing away in a hospital in his hometown of Rosario, Argentina.

He had fallen ill before the start of the World Cup, but, as Messi states in his emotional tribute to his father, had convinced one of the world’s greatest ever players to play in the tournament.

Jorge had acted as his son’s agent for the entirety of his career, since the age of 14, with Messi previously paying tribute to the work his father had done in his career. And now he has passed away, Messi has admitted that he is not sure how much longer he will carry on playing football.

Messi’s emotional statement in full

REUTERS/Agustin Marcarian

“Dad, I still can’t believe you’re gone. I can’t believe I won’t see you anymore, that we won’t talk anymore. I know you were suffering and that’s the best thing, but you left too soon. We still had so much left to enjoy together.

“You always asked me to play in the last World Cup and days before it started, that’s when you got worse. It was the first time you weren’t going to be in a tournament, but mum told me you were going to be fine and that you would be okay to travel. I told you we would get to the final and you could see a game.

“I came to you because I couldn’t talk about everything that happened. You couldn’t enjoy anything. We weren’t champions, but you never knew how we enjoyed every game. Once again, you were right: you had to be there and play.

“I tell you this because it was the only thing we couldn’t talk about, because everything else you already know. We talked every day and saw each other when we could because of my commitments.

“I don’t know what I’m going to do without you, I don’t know how to go on. I just played soccer and now I have a lot of doubts that I’ll keep doing it for a long time more. You were by my side from the beginning, so close to the end. Why didn’t you hold on a little longer and we could have finished together?

“I know your happiness was seeing your family, your wife, your kids, and above all, without the others finding out, seeing me play…

“It was always like that since I was little. You took me to all the training sessions as soon as you got home from work. I took many of you to mom’s place because you were working.

“Obviously, you didn’t miss any of the games. How you suffered seeing me and how you enjoyed it, even though you never gave me many compliments.

“You were dad, friend, and representative. You were always the person you had to be in every moment and you never made a mistake. Beyond some reproaches or fights, you were always right. In the end, it all came down to what you said.

“I will miss you a lot, but you will always be present, and especially in the education of my children, because I teach and educate them as you did with me.

“Rest in peace and take care of us from above as you did here. Thank you for everything.

“I love you, dad.”