Anthony Joshua is gearing up for a highly anticipated showdown with longtime rival Tyson Fury later this year, but before that marquee clash he has scheduled a tune‑up bout against Kristian Prenga on July 25. The fight is being billed as a way for Joshua to shake off any ring rust after a difficult period that included a tragic car accident in which two of his close friends were killed.
While the British heavyweight sees the Prenga fight as a necessary step to sharpen his skills and regain confidence, respected trainer Shane McGuigan has publicly warned that the warm‑up could be a serious strategic error. McGuigan, one of the United Kingdom's most prominent boxing coaches, told Sky Sports that a fighter of Joshua's caliber should not waste time on an additional preparatory fight. "Training camps are lonely places," he said, noting that boxing is a demanding sport that often requires a fighter to be fully committed both financially and emotionally.
"If you aren't doing it for the money but for the love of the sport, the enjoyment may not be where it once was." He argued that Joshua needs to focus his energy on the ultimate challenge – a fight with Fury – rather than diverting attention to a lower‑profile opponent. "I think you need your teeth sunk into a big challenge, and that would always have been a Tyson Fury fight," McGuigan explained.
He added that Joshua's confidence, while strong, still benefits from a high‑stakes test, but that test should be the Fury bout itself, not a preliminary matchup. The trainer also highlighted the emotional toll the recent tragedy has likely taken on Joshua. "It's him going through another training camp without the people who used to be in his camp. That's going to be a horrible experience," McGuigan said.
He expressed sympathy for the psychological impact of witnessing such a horrific event and suggested that a warm‑up fight might not provide the healing or motivation Joshua needs. "I don't know AJ as a person, but I would imagine it's been a huge blow for him emotionally," he continued.
"Going through a camp without your friends, after seeing something so tragic, is a massive challenge." McGuigan warned that using the Prenga fight merely as a procedural step could leave Joshua exposed. "Is this going to make him a better fighter? No, I don't think so.
Is it going to do anything for him? Not really. It's just going to expose any cracks in what's really going on," he said.
In other words, the warm‑up could highlight deficiencies rather than conceal them, potentially undermining Joshua's confidence heading into the Fury clash. The conversation also touched on Fury's own schedule.
Some analysts have suggested that Fury might take an interim bout to stay sharp, but McGuigan believes that would be equally risky. "I think he does it just to wind them up," he remarked, indicating that Fury may be using a filler fight as a psychological ploy rather than a genuine preparation. Historically, the two heavyweights have come close to meeting in the ring before. In 2021, Joshua's loss to Oleksandr Usyk derailed a potential undisputed title showdown with Fury.
McGuigan reflected on that missed opportunity, stating that if Fury were in Joshua's position, he would have taken the fight immediately rather than opting for a warm‑up bout. "They missed it and would be stupid to miss it again," he warned, emphasizing that professional boxing is unpredictable, with injuries and head clashes always a factor. Beyond the physical preparation, pre‑fight mind games could become a distraction. Decisions about who will walk to the ring first, who will be featured as the A‑side or B‑side on promotional materials, and other promotional details are still being hashed out.
McGuigan dismissed these concerns as ego‑driven. "It's just egos at the end of the day. The reason they're fighting is because of egos," he said. He added that while both fighters aim to entertain fans, the underlying motive is to maintain relevance and stay in the spotlight as they age.
He concluded that the focus should be on the 36 minutes inside the ring, not on peripheral battles over promotional positioning. "It really doesn't make a blind bit of difference who's ring walking first or whose name appears on the left side of the poster," McGuigan asserted.
"All that matters is what happens when they step through the ropes." In summary, Shane McGuigan believes that Anthony Joshua's decision to take a warm‑up fight against Kristian Prenga could backfire, exposing vulnerabilities rather than polishing strengths. He urges Joshua to concentrate on the mental and physical preparation required for a direct showdown with Tyson Fury, arguing that any additional bout may only serve as a distraction and a potential source of doubt. The upcoming months will reveal whether Joshua follows his trainer's advice or proceeds with the Prenga fight, a choice that could shape the narrative of one of the sport's most anticipated heavyweight clashes.