Anthony Joshua nearly lost everything in three minutes. The former heavyweight champion, fighting for the first time since a car crash that killed two of his close friends, survived two shocking first-round knockdowns against Albania's Kristian Prenga in Jeddah on Sunday before rallying to win by knockout in the second round. The comeback has only intensified the already fevered anticipation for a showdown with fellow British heavyweight Tyson Fury. Main Developments Joshua, 36, found himself on the canvas twice in the opening round against an opponent he was widely expected to beat with ease. He responded in the second round by slamming a series of punches to Prenga's head, leaving his opponent dazed on the bottom rope and halfway out of the ring, where the referee counted him out. “Those moments show what type of person you are because they’re not things that we prepare for,” Joshua told reporters. “You know, deep in your heart, you will come in life to a minute, at a moment, at a second, where you need to click it to get.” He described the moment as a “flight-or-fight” choice, adding, “I chose to fight.” Read also: Centuries Galore: How Sri Lanka's Record Stand Overcame Sidra's Heroics Background Joshua entered this bout under a heavy emotional cloud. It was his first fight since a car crash in Nigeria in December that killed two of his close friends, Sina Ghami and Latif Ayodele. When asked about them in the ring, Joshua choked up, attributing his second-round revival not just to punching power but to something deeper: “That was spirit, that was Latz, that was Sina. That was family.” The victory comes after months of speculation about a long-awaited fight with Fury, 37, who secured a warm-up win of his own on Friday. Both former world champions are aging and on the down-slope of their careers, yet the appetite for a clash at London's Wembley Stadium remains high among British boxing fans. Why It Matters Joshua's near-defeat underscored the fragility of the Fury fight. “We had some big plans on the horizon, there’s been a lot of talk around this Tyson Fury fight,” Joshua said. “Is it (going to happen)? Where is it? When? And it nearly got stripped away from us within three minutes, and I said, ‘no, no, no, no’.” The fight is more than a sporting event. Promoter Eddie Hearn framed it as a cultural moment: “Let’s be honest, this is a fight for the British public... this is something that will be remembered across all generations, forever.” What's Next Hearn quickly shut down rumors that the bout might take place outside the UK. “Not unless you want to renegotiate the contract,” he said bluntly. “We insisted that this fight was in the UK and I know that Joshua, you know, will sometimes want to be a little bit of a peacekeeper, but the reality is that he said to me, ‘I want the fight in the UK. This is a British fight’. I can’t agree more.” “There’s nothing I need to do to make the fight — the fight’s signed, the fight’s made, so we’ll see what the next couple of weeks bring,” Hearn added. The boxing world now waits for an official date and venue announcement.