Anthony Joshua absorbed two knockdowns, the first arriving after only 20 seconds, before he recovered to stop Kristian Prenga dramatically in the second round of his comeback bout in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.

The British heavyweight returned to the ring for the first time since the December car crash in Nigeria that took the lives of close friends Sina Ghami and Latif 'Latz' Ayodele.

He was rocked by a powerful uppercut from underdog Prenga early in the opening round and then sent to the canvas once more later in the same session.

At that stage he appeared headed for one of the biggest upsets in heavyweight history, with the long-planned Tyson Fury clash suddenly in doubt.

Yet Joshua produced one of the finest recoveries of his career, and now that contest looks set to proceed.

He landed his right hand repeatedly in round two, with the final blow dropping Albanian Prenga and prompting the referee to wave the fight off.

"It is more than punch power. That was spirit, that was Latz, that was Sina, that was the families. It hurts to even speak about it. It has been tough," Joshua, 36, said.

He grew emotional and stepped back from the microphone, then added: "It is my brothers. I do not want to talk about it."

Speculation had suggested fellow Briton Fury might appear despite earlier statements that he would stay away.

But the master of mind games kept his word, with Fury absent barely 24 hours after his own warm-up victory over Mariusz Wach in Thailand.

"I respect everything he has done and everything that he has achieved, but as a fighting person, we are here now. I hope the fans will be in for a lovely treat," Joshua said about the prospect of facing Fury.

Contracts have been agreed, but the venue and date for a fight more than a decade in the making remain undecided.

This chaotic night, however, belonged to Joshua in a victory achieved through adversity during the most difficult months of his life.

Given the circumstances, this was never going to be a straightforward return for Joshua. Few, however, could have foreseen the drama that unfolded inside six minutes.

Joshua carried the names of Ghami and Ayodele on his chest and walked to the ring alongside his entire team in a quiet show of unity. The canvas carried their names too, alongside the words 'My Brother's Keeper'.

His comeback could scarcely have begun in any worse fashion. Just 20 seconds in, a right uppercut from Prenga sent Joshua crashing to the canvas and stunned the arena.

Joshua smiled as he rose to his feet. Prenga, who arrived with 20 knockouts from his 20 victories but little profile even among boxing's hardcore followers, sensed an opportunity.

Promoter Eddie Hearn barked instructions from ringside, while Joshua stablemate Oleksandr Usyk watched on with a look of concern.

A left uppercut later in the round dumped Joshua on the canvas again. He was still unsteady at the start of the second round and appeared there for the taking, but Prenga surprisingly began to box off the back foot and let the Watford fighter off the hook.

Joshua capitalised and, using his years of experience and perhaps the emotion, he drew Prenga onto a jab before uncorking a crushing right hand. More rights followed as Prenga collapsed to the canvas and the referee had seen enough.

This was 35-year-old Prenga's second loss in his career.

It was Joshua's first test against a recognised professional opponent since Daniel Dubois stopped him in September 2024.

His only fight since had come against YouTuber-turned-boxer Jake Paul in December, 10 days before the fatal crash that left him injured.

Joshua passed the Prenga test, but not in the manner anyone expected. It was not the destructive, free-flowing champion who once swept opponents aside.

After defeating 46-year-old Wach in Pattaya, the question of whether Fury would show up to watch Joshua became a subplot of fight night.

A Fury lookalike briefly fooled reporters when he stepped out of a taxi, while Fury's manager Spencer Brown insisted the 'Gypsy King' would be "there in spirit".

The fight between two of the most recognisable names in British boxing is understood to have been agreed for November.

Neither man is at the peak of his powers, but while the commercial appeal remains strong, Joshua's struggles are likely to leave Fury a clear favourite.

The bout is expected to stream on Netflix. British fans are hoping for a homecoming event, but it is understood Saudi organisers and broadcasters favour a venue in the United States to cater for American audiences.

"We have signed the contract. Everything is done," Hearn said.

"But tonight was not about Tyson Fury. It was about the strength Anthony Joshua has shown just to be here.

"No one knows what he has been through over the last seven months. When he went down in the first round, I thought he had come back too soon."