Former heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua will return to the ring on July 25 against Kristian Prenga in Riyadh, months after a road crash in Nigeria in which two people close to him died.
The fight will be Joshua’s first since December and marks his comeback after a difficult period following the accident.
Joshua said he had taken time away to recover and prepare for his return.
“It’s no secret I’ve taken some time to consolidate and rebuild to be ready for stepping back into the ring and this is the next step on that journey,” he said.
The 36-year-old will face Prenga, 35, who has 20 wins, all by knockout and one defeat in his professional career.
Prenga has yet to meet an opponent with Joshua’s level of experience.
Joshua is a gold medallist from the London 2012 Olympic Games and a former two-time heavyweight world champion.
He has recorded 29 wins, including 26 knockouts, with four defeats.
Joshua won the IBF heavyweight title in 2016 by defeating Charles Martin.
He later added the WBA, WBO and IBO belts before losing them to Andy Ruiz Jr in 2019.
He regained the titles in a rematch later that year but lost them to Oleksandr Usyk in 2021.
Joshua was again beaten by Usyk in their rematch in 2022 and later lost to Daniel Dubois in an IBF title fight in 2024.
He also underwent elbow surgery and managed a shoulder injury before returning to training.
The July fight comes as talks continue over a possible future bout with fellow British heavyweight Tyson Fury.
Saudi sports official Turki Alalshikh said a deal for Anthony Joshua to face Fury had been signed, while promoter Eddie Hearn said discussions were progressing.
Fury recently returned from retirement with a point win over Arslanbek Makhmudov.
