Heavyweight contender stops Joe Jones in Atlantic City as Pryce Taylor scores stoppage in Detroit
Kristian Prenga knocked Joe Jones down three times and stopped him in the opening round Saturday night at Showboat Hotel Casino in Atlantic City. The Albanian heavyweight closed the fight at 1:57 of the first round.
Prenga went straight to work. A body shot put Jones on the deck early, and the follow-up attack left him unsteady. Two more knockdowns followed before the referee stepped in.
“Same as always,” Prenga said. “I get in the ring to box and always give my best, but when my opponent acted like he was tough and talked too much, I didn’t like that. So, I took him out in less than 2 minutes.”
With twenty knockouts in twenty wins, Prenga remains a heavy-handed presence in the division. At 34, he is pressing for bigger fights while keeping active.
“I’m ready for anyone and everyone because it’s the right time for me,” he said. “I want to fight again soon. As far as opponents in my mind I want the one that holds the title, and God willing I will get there soon.”
One day later in Detroit, Pryce Taylor (11-0, 7 KOs) delivered his own stoppage victory on a Salita Promotions card that streamed worldwide on DAZN. Taylor broke down James Evans (9-3-1, 7 KOs) and closed the show in the fifth round.
Taylor controlled the ring, cut off Evans’ movement, and worked behind straight rights and left hooks. A clean uppercut followed by a right hand forced Evans to a knee in the fifth. Although Evans beat the count, the referee halted the fight moments later.
“I put on a master class of ring cutting,” Taylor said. “I was dominant, strong and showed a little glimpse of angles and head movement, along with a sense of future greatness.”
Manager Keith Sullivan oversees both heavyweights and sees different stages of development.
“I’m proud to be working with two heavyweights at different stages of the journey – one a contender, the other a rising prospect,” Sullivan said. “What they share is discipline, patience, and a willingness to do hard work when nobody’s watching.”