Key events<\/p>\n
It\u2019s all a bit scrappy in the Sheeraz-Zachenhuber fight. Sheeraz might have hurt his right hand but he\u2019s never quite got to grips with the style of the tall, busy southpaw in front of him. That said, he\u2019s landed enough quality blows against the game Zachenhuber to (probably) build up a healthy lead \u2013 we await the 12th and final round!<\/p>\n
Hamzah Sheeraz lands a shot on Simon Zachenhuber. Photograph: Ibraheem Abu Mustafa\/ReutersShare<\/a><\/p>\n Well, with Sheeraz-Zachenhuber now in round nine, we won\u2019t see Joshua and Prenga walk to the ring at the previously mooted 10.52pm (BST). Not unless they just stride into the arena while this is going on. \u201cHurry up.\u201d<\/p>\n Meanwhile, Sheeraz is probably winning this fight but hardly looking spectacular. Zachenhuber is outworking him \u2026 and as I type that, Sheeraz nearly doubled him over with a body shot. He\u2019s had success going to the body when he\u2019s done it.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n They exchange blows in rounds six and seven, both seemingly happy to swap blows. Darren Barker speculates that Sheeraz may have hurt his right hand as he\u2019s throwing the left with more force. He\u2019s being very tentative with the right. Zachenhuber won the seventh in my book \u2013 several one-twos went straight through Sheeraz\u2019s guard.<\/p>\n Hamzah Sheeraz and Simon Zachenhuber engage up close. Photograph: Ibraheem Abu Mustafa\/ReutersShare<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a017.38 EDT<\/p>\n The rounds are stacking up for Sheeraz as he lets go with those long levers in round five. Zachenhuber is backing off, still throwing and landing, but he doesn\u2019t appear to have the power to keep the defending champion off him. The crowd noise gets louder; they can sense a stoppage.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Sheeraz lands a thumping body shot in round three and a sweeping hook to the nose which results in Zachenhuber grimacing. Starting to up the tempo? We shall see, Zachenhuber takes them well enough.<\/p>\n The TV cuts to Joshua and Prenga getting their hands wrapped in their dressing rooms. No horseshoes being sneaked in there as I could see, so all appears in order.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Sheeraz on the front foot in the opening rounds against Zachenhuber. He\u2019s stalking and searching for openings with the straight right hand, which is the money punch against a southpaw, but he\u2019s yet to find the target clean.<\/p>\n Zachenhuber, nicknamed \u201cThe Matador\u201d is busy and although his punches aren\u2019t pushing Sheeraz back, he\u2019s landing a fair few. A pretty even start.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Hamzah Sheeraz makes his way to the ring for his WBO super-middleweight title defence against Germany\u2019s Simon Zachenhuber. The Briton is a big favourite.<\/p>\n The MC Thomas Treiber describes it \u2013 optimistically \u2013 as \u201cthe co-main event\u201d. Hmm. The actual main event will follow this contest.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Back to Fury\u2019s win against Wach \u2013 as we await the final undercard bout before Joshua v Prenga tonight. From the clips doing the rounds, the victor was switch-hitting and winning comfortably before Wach\u2019s corner pulled their man out on his stool after seven rounds.<\/p>\n Fury did get clocked clean a few times \u2013 perhaps not ideal \u2013 but then he\u2019s always fought up and down to the level of his opponent. Plus you can\u2019t really read too much into a glorified sparring session.<\/p>\n Mariusz Wach lands a shot on Tyson Fury Photograph: Athit Perawongmetha\/ReutersFury thumps Wach with a jab Photograph: Athit Perawongmetha\/ReutersShare<\/a>Kelly defeats Agyarko by unanimous decision!<\/p>\n Josh Kelly wins a narrow 12-round decision to defend his IBF 154lb title \u2013 and it turned out to very tough assignment. Kelly boxed slickly early on, got caught several times by a game Caoimh\u00edn Agyarko in the middle rounds, then a bloody-nosed champion gritted his teeth and came through the final rounds (despite a one-point deduction in the fifth). <\/p>\n The judges has it 114-113 and 115-112 (twice). Respectful applause from Agyarko, despite the close nature of the decision.<\/p>\n A bloody Josh Kelly throws punches at Caoimh\u00edn Agyarko. Photograph: Ibraheem Abu Mustafa\/ReutersShare<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a016.41 EDT<\/p>\n Kelly bleeding from the nose and a cut under the eye, Agyarko firing jabs and hooks at the so-called \u201cPretty Boy\u201d who\u2019s looking a bit worse for wear. However the defending champion had a big lead after five rounds and he comes back firing sharply in the 10th round. Two to go and you never knows how the judges have.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Kristian Prenga arrives in the arena, chewing some delicious gum. He looks cool enough.<\/p>\n In the ring, Agyarko is coming back into the fight against Kelly in the second half, helped by the defending IBF champ being docked a point for a punch to the back of the head in round six. Kelly\u2019s work rate has dropped a tad and he\u2019s being caught more often as they exchange. We\u2019ve just started the eighth round.<\/p>\n Josh Kelly fires a punch at Caoimh\u00edn Agyarko during their IBF light-heavyweight title fight. Photograph: Ibraheem Abu Mustafa\/ReutersShare<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a016.19 EDT<\/p>\n Josh Kelly is boxing smoothly against Ireland\u2019s Caoimh\u00edn Agyarko in their IBF light-middleweight title bout. Five rounds of a possible 12 completed and Sunderland\u2019s \u201cPretty Boy\u201d has won most, if not all, of them \u2013 although he has a cut under his left eye. Something for Agyarko to aim at.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a016.02 EDT<\/p>\n Some pre-fight reading to set the scene as Don McRae assesses the planned Fury-Joshua showdown<\/a>. It was written before Fury\u2019s one-sided victory yesterday, but it all still holds true and is particularly relevant on AJ\u2019s state of mind this weekend.<\/p>\n double quotation markJoshua\u2019s return is far more meaningful as it marks a significant step in his emotional and psychological recovery since he was injured in the devastating accident in Nigeria<\/a> that killed his close friends, Sina Ghami and Latif Ayodele, just after Christmas. There had been doubts Joshua would have the appetite to box again, but he believes his desire in the ring remains undiminished as he prepares to fight the obscure Albanian heavyweight Kristian Prenga late on Saturday night in Jeddah.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s on Prenga, but it\u2019s also on Fury, because I want it all,\u201d Joshua said of his focus this week. \u201cI believe I can become undisputed [heavyweight champion of the world]. I\u2019ve still got the ambition and hunger.\u201d<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a015.42 EDT<\/p>\n Tonight\u2019s undercard has a strong British interest \u2013 Josh Kelly and Hamzah Sheeraz both making the first defences of world titles they won earlier this year.<\/p>\n Sunderland light-middleweight Kelly could have a tricky assignment against unbeaten Caoimh\u00edn Agyarko, who is aiming to become Ireland\u2019s first black world champion. Ilford super-middleweight Sheeraz could have a less tricky assignment against Germany\u2019s Simon Zachenhuber, who has a 28-1 record \u2013 but that one loss was in a six-rounder in April. And now he\u2019s fighting for a world title. Oh boxing!<\/p>\n Kelly v Agyarko is next up in Jeddah; Sheeraz v Zachenhuber at approx 9.40pm. Updates to come.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Tyson Fury kept up his end of the deal by defeating Mariusz Wach in Thailand on Friday. In case you did not see it \u2013 and there\u2019s a strong chance you didn\u2019t, as it wasn\u2019t broadcast live and was filmed for Fury\u2019s reality show on Netflix \u2013 here\u2019s the fight report<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cI went through my test tonight,\u201d Fury said (apparently with a straight face after stopping the 46-year-old, 290lb Wach). \u201cLet\u2019s see if he [Joshua] can get through his.\u201d Indeed we will.<\/p>\n Tyson Fury lands a blow on Mariusz Wach in Pattaya, Thailand. Photograph: Athit Perawongmetha\/ReutersShare<\/a>Preamble<\/p>\n Anthony Joshua\u2019s first fight of 2026 \u2013 a planned tune-up before a showdown with Tyson Fury \u2013 comes against exactly the type of opponent you\u2019d expect. Kristian Prenga is a strapping 6ft 5in Albanian with an eye-catching 20-1 (all 20 wins by KO) record that contains a sum total of zero elite opponents.<\/p>\n But hold on, Prenga ultras might ask: when exactly did Britain\u2019s former two-time world champion last see off a real heavyweight threat himself? Joshua\u2019s last three fights are a sixth-round stoppage of YouTuber-turned-boxer Jake Paul<\/a>, a brutal KO loss to Daniel Dubois and a two-round demolition of mixed-martial artist Francis Ngannou. You have to go back to December 2023 to find the last time AJ defeated a proven heavyweight contender in the shape of Otto Wallin.<\/p>\n Joshua is also returning to the ring after a fatal car crash in Nigeria last December that killed two of his close friends. Although he\u2019s recovered from his injuries, it\u2019s understandable that the 36-year-old\u2019s future in the sport was questioned after such a traumatic experience. No wonder he wants to shake off the ring rust before a long-awaited bout against Fury.<\/p>\n Prenga is a whopping underdog against a fighter with AJ\u2019s credentials. An Olympic gold medallist who\u2019s beaten Joseph Parker, Alexander Povetkin, Wladimir Klitschko \u2013 and gone 24 pretty competitive rounds with Oleksandr Usyk \u2013 should have no problem polishing off a foe who\u2019s only gone beyond six rounds once. (And that was when Prenga lost an eight-round decision in his fifth pro fight.)<\/p>\n This is heavyweight boxing, so you never 100% know. But it would be a major upset if even the late-career version of AJ were to be seriously troubled by Prenga in Jeddah.<\/p>\n Ring walks are \u2013 apparently \u2013 at 10.52pm (BST). Lots of updates before then! Feel free to email your thoughts<\/a>.<\/p>\n