Anthony Joshua vs. Kristian Prenga live updates and highlights from Saudi Arabia

Joshua came out working from distance in Round 2 and drove Prenga to a corner with jab/right hand combinations. He looked steady on his feet after the one-minute break on his stool and was never hit flush by Prenga in the second round.

Prenga was dumped across the bottom rope by a right hand in the second, climbed to his knees and was waved off there by referee Luis Pabon, giving Joshua the dramatic, career-saving finish.

"It was wild, wooly and a bit scary to watch," analyst Barry Jones said. "Two rounds of absolute madness."

The official time was 2:43 of Round 2.

And now it's time, at last, for Joshua and Fury.

Promoter Eddie Hearn said earlier on Saturday's show that Fury-Joshua was a done deal, pending only the final determination of a site for that showdown.

Hearn said the hope is that it'll occur in the U.K., but there's still a chance it could happen at Madison Square Garden.

When AJ fights, danger follows.

Joshua found himself on the floor just 20 seconds into his scrap with power-hitting Albanian export Kristian Prenga, tumbling after absorbing a right uppercut and stumbling his way through several subsequent tie-ups.

Another knockdown came out of a tie-up with about 30 seconds remaining in the round when Joshua's glove touched the floor.

Analyst Barry Jones labeled it, "One of the worst rounds of his career."

It's time for another AJ reinvention in a bout billed "Danger Before Destiny."

The fact that Joshua has been KO'd by the likes of Andy Ruiz and Daniel Dubois makes every punch in his direction a concern, particularly against a guy with 20 straight KO victories.

But the reality is that Prenga has never been in with, let alone beaten, an opponent on the level of the former two-time champ and Olympic gold medalist.

Prenga has won 16 in a row, none going past six rounds, since suffering his lone career defeat by decision to Giovanni Auriemma in 2017.

Joshua is 20-0 in non-title fights, having scored 19 KOs.

It won't go on the highlight reels, but Sheeraz can lock it up as a successful first title defense after 12 sleep-inducing rounds against Zachenbuber.

Shockingly, it was officially a majority decision after one judge saw it dead even at 114-114 but was overruled by two other cards that read 115-113 and 116-112 in his favor.

"He won clearly," analyst Tony Bellew said. "But it's disappointing. It's not a great performance. Sometimes fights like that will keep you grounded."

Zachenhuber landed 42 jabs to Sheeraz's 15, while the champion held significant edges in power shots (97-56) and total punches landed (112-98).

Sheeraz said he had zero issues with his hands.

Analyst Carl Frampton is focusing less on Sheeraz's mammoth lead and more on the fact that a fight expected to end early is into the final quarter.

"He could be doing more. He could be going through the gears," Frampton said. "We've seen him do it. It's very strange. He'll know he'll need to be better than this."

Sheeraz had earned 17 straight wins by finish since 2018.

Regardless, it takes generosity to suggest Zachenhuber won more than a couple of rounds.

So, the B/R card calls it 9-3, or 117-111 in points for the champion. #AndStill

Analysts are suggesting a right-hand injury could be hampering Sheeraz, who's not let go with prolonged flurries and may be having a stylistic issue with a left-handed opponent.

Zachenhuber was quick on his feet and with his hands in the seventh, but nowhere near to the level that'll get him into contention to win the fight.

"He's better than we thought," analyst Darren Barker said, "but the feeling is there that Hamzah can just do more."

A hard left to the body landed for Sheeraz early in the ninth and seemed to be starting an important sequence, but Zachenhuber managed to escape subsequent damage. Still, can't be any closer than 88-83 for the champ on the scorecards.

The pressure is gradual but it's real for Sheeraz, who's consistently controlling the distance even if he's not landing bone-jarring blows into the fourth.

The jeering whistles from the crowd began late in the fourth and the fight continued toward the halfway point despite the lopsided expectations coming in.  

A hard left-right to the body from the champion seemed to rattle Zachenhuber early in the fifth and the German instantly became more mobile. The challenger doesn't have the firepower to dissuade Sheeraz from moving forward and the shots were landing with more frequency through the end of the fifth.

Hard to envision anyone having given Sheeraz any less than five of the first six.

Zachenhuber came out in a southpaw stance with a bounce but barely moved his hands through the fight's first two minutes. Sheeraz, a righty, began establishing range with a left jab and a follow-up right hand. Neither made a noticeable impact for three minutes.

Sheeraz landed a straight right hand early in the second and turned his frame to land lead left hands to his challenger's body and head as well. Zachenhuber was more active in the back half of the second, but Sheeraz continued to move forward and land noticeable shots.

A hard right to the body from Sheeraz drove Zachenhuber back a step about halfway through the third round, and the German looked to be feeling the difference in power as the round closed. Not much action through three, but the champion is in control.

It's a second straight title fight on the show with WBO 168-pound champ Hamzah Sheeraz defending for the first time the vacant belt he won second-round finish over Alem Begic on the Usyk-Verhoeven show in Egypt in May.

Challenging him is seventh-ranked contender Simon Zachenhuber, a 28-year-old lefty from Germany who's 29-1 as a pro, with his only loss coming via decision to prelim fighter Pawel August in April.

Sheeraz is 23-0-1 with 19 KOs and arrives as a prohibitive -4000 favorite according to DraftKings.

The margin was narrow and the stats were, too.

Agyarko landed 31 jabs to Kelly's 27, while the champion had a 70-56 edge in power shots landed and a 97-87 margin in total punches landed.

It translated to a narrow title defense for Kelly, who earned a 114-113 margin on one scorecard and 115-112 gaps on the other two to retain his title.

"That was a messy, hard fight," Kelly said. "That's what a champion does, finishes the fight. Mindset."

Agyarko reacts to the end of each round by raising his hands to the sky and he may have had reason to at the end of the 10th, a session in which he was active again.

Agyarko's body language is better as he moves forward behind a jab while Kelly stands still and waits, perhaps too long, to flash the speed that had separated them early.

Kelly's face has turned bloody from the two cuts and a steady flow from his nose.

That won't help in terms of visuals from ringside.

B/R had the challenger up, 105-103, heading to the last before giving the 12th to the champ. That makes it 114-113 for Agyarko at the end. #And New

More of the same for Kelly as the second half began, with the champion still flashing the faster hands but Agyarko presenting some additional resistance despite not being active enough with his own blows.

Kelly began the eighth with a slight nick on his right cheek, matching the one on his left.

"When he's in full flow," analyst Carl Frampton said, "he such a joy to watch."

Agyarko scored early in the ninth with a right to the head after beginning the combination with a flicking left jab toward Kelly's body.

It's narrowed to 5-4 for Kelly in terms of rounds on the B/R scorecard, but the earlier point deduction makes it even on points at 85-85.

Kelly opened the fourth by lashing Agyarko with quick left jabs and again using footwork to move in and out of the pocket to deliver shots. Agyarko is hardly being pummeled but he's also not been active enough to have plucked more than one of the four rounds.

It wasn't a damaging flurry, but Kelly did land a series of blows that had Agyarko bobbing and weaving into the ropes in the opening stages of the fifth. A counter left hook from Agyarko landed on the right side of Kelly's jaw and drew a smile from both men halfway through the fifth.

A small cut opened on Kelly's cheek after a clash of heads, but not in a dangerous spot, late in the fifth. Through six rounds, it looks an awful lot like 4-2 for the reigning champ, though Kelly was penalized a point late in the round for repeated blows to the back of the head.

Kelly greeted the opening bell and immediately set himself in the center of the ring, right-handed stance, left hand down by his hip. He jumped in with jabs and lead left hooks, relying on a would-be speed advantage.

Neither landed a punch of great consequence in Round 1, but Kelly was visually sharper – largely because of the edge in speed. Agyarko had a better third after seeming to commit to coming forward and moving his hands.

Not a fight for the Gatti-Ward types. Looking far more likely to be a prolonged, high-tension chess match over the scheduled 12-round route.

The show gets its first of two title fights in bout No. 4 with IBF 154-pound champ Josh Kelly making his first defense against fourth-ranked contender Caoimhin Agyarko.

Kelly earned the belt with a majority decision over Bakhram Murtazaliev in January in England, improving to 18-1-1 as a pro.

Agyarko is 18-0 with seven KOs and venturing away from the UK and his native Ireland for the first time. He earned a split decision over Ishmael Davis in his most recent fight last September in Belfast.

Tsutsumi is 5-0 with four KOs and already drawing raves from those who know.

Herrera, who'd arrived unbeaten, had won 14 in row since a 4-0-2 start.

"That's why he's on the big cards," analyst Darren Barker said, "because he puts on performances like that."

"That was a step up," analyst Carl Frampton, "and he obliterated him in barely more than a round."

Tsutsumi came out applying pressure in a left-handed stance, darting in and out with a flashy right jab. A hard overhand left dropped Herrera early in Round 1's final minute and he was dumped again along the ropes by a right hook. Both men tumbled to the floor in a clinch seconds later and Herrera made it out of the first on wobbly legs.

The gap in speed and precision was too much to navigate into the second and Herrera went to the floor from a straight left and was immediately rescued by referee Luis Pabon.

The official time was 0:28 of Round 2.

It's a few dozen pounds down the ladder from super middleweight to super featherweight for bout No. 3, where veteran Mexican export Alvino Herrera climbs in with an 18-0-2 record against 23-year-old Japanese phenom Reito Tsutsumi, who's 4-0 with three KOs and has already played the big rooms in New York City, Las Vegas and Riyadh.

Tsutsumi arrives with three straight KOs in a combined seven rounds.

It's scheduled for 10 rounds.

No surprise that all three judges made it an 80-72 shutout for Bank, who landed 83 jabs to August's 34, 101 power shots to August's 42 and 184 overall blows to August's 76.

"It's my time to have the world title chance," Bank said. "I'm waiting for it."

More of the same in the penultimate an final round for Bank, who boosted his movement and lowered his hands while picking his shots as August approached.

August landed a hard right hand late in the seventh, but it made little impact.

"It's been a boxing master class, and it looks like he could do this for another four or five rounds," analyst Barry Jones said. "You could be looking at a future world champion here."

Hard to imagine anyone giving August a round.

So, it's a clear 80-72 on the B/R card.

Bank remained stiffer, sharper and more successful through the middle rounds, continuing to lash August with hard blows and combinations as he approached.

"I love this natural flair that he has," analyst Darren Barker said.

Trainer Dean Lewis implored August to let his hands go when he got in close, but the gap between the fighters was clearly not a matter of effort.

"He courageous and he's trying," analyst Barry Jones said, "but Jacob Bank is just in total control."

August began the first round on the front foot and came forward behind a hard left jab, trying to pressure and smother Bank. Bank, however, was determined to use distance on his own terms with a strong left jab and hard right hands to follow.

Bank's timing was exquisite to begin Round 2 and he consistently snapped August's head back with hard jabs and followed with shots to the body as the Polish man approached.

"This is really good from Jacob Bank," analyst Barry Jones said. "Real cameos of class."

The first three rounds were unquestionably Bank's, putting him well on the way to maintaining No. 2 rankings at 168 pounds with the WBC and WBO and No. 8 by Ring Magazine.

Joshua and Oleksandr Usyk got their old-school boxing movie relationship on when Joshua, after losing twice to Usyk, sought his conqueror's training counsel to prepare for today's fight.

On Joshua, Usyk says "AJ today is better."

Polish-born UK resident Pawel August is next to walk the aisle for the afternoon's second bout in which he'll engage with 25-year-old Danish prospect Jacob Bank, who's 19-0 with 11 KOs in a professional run that began in 2020.

Bank has won his last three fights by KO, including a five-rounder over Paulinus Ndjolonimu in April. August, who's 18-0 with seven KOs, also last fought in April and won a six-round decision over Simon Zachenhuber.

It's scheduled for eight rounds.

Dev landed a left uppercut that dumped Diaz to the floor in a heap about two minutes into the opening round, then scored another knockdown with a pretty counter left that landed square on Diaz's chin with about 15 seconds remaining.

The veteran rose once more and was quickly floored again, with the third knockdown officially ending matters via TKO at 2:56 of Round 1.

"I'm very happy that everyone is talking about me," Dev said, "but the job is not done yet."

It's one of the biggest bouts in British heavyweight history, so, naturally, why not bring it to the United States.

It won't make the Brits happy if it happens, but there's apparently a chance it'll take place at the Mecca of U.S. boxing at Madison Square Garden.

Thirty-three-year-old Peruvian Cesar Diaz is first to walk on the main show in Jeddah and he'll be in tough with a 10-2 record (5 KOs) against highly-touted Indian prospect Nishant Dev, who's 6-0 with four KOs of his own.

It's scheduled for eight rounds at super welterweight.