The previously unknown Albanian heavyweight couldn’t help but feel that he let his proud people down in the immediate aftermath of his second-round knockout loss to Anthony Joshua at Jeddah Superdome in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.

“I’m gonna say I’m sorry to everybody,” Prenga told The Ring on his way back to his locker room. “I [didn’t] make them proud, but next time.”

Prenga probably ensured that there will be a next time on a big stage by dropping Joshua twice in the first round of what was arranged as a tune-up fight for the former unified heavyweight champ. England’s Joshua (30-4, 27 KOs) believed he needed to test himself mentally and physically nearly seven months after suffering injuries in a car accident that claimed the lives of two of his closest friends.

DraftKings made him a 25-1 favorite because Prenga (20-2, 20 KOs) had never fought a legitimate contender, let alone an accomplished opponent like Joshua. That didn’t stop Prenga from nearly destroying the 36-year-old Joshua’s long-planned showdown with rival Tyson Fury (36-2-1, 25 KOs) in what will be promoted as the biggest fight in British boxing history.

The 6-foot-5, 261-pound Prenga’s right uppercut stunningly dropped Joshua just 21 seconds into their scheduled 12-round bout. Joshua reached his feet quickly, but Prenga knocked him into the ropes with another right hand and caught Joshua with a left uppercut that caused him to use his right glove to keep from going down, which counted as a second knockdown.

The 6-foot-6, 251-pound Joshua remarkably recovered by the start of the second round. He was aggressive and eventually dropped Prenga with a combination punctuated by a right hand that left Prenga sprawled out on the bottom rope.

Prenga attempted to get up, but referee Luis Pabon halted the action at 2:43 of the second round.

“Congratulations to him,” Prenga said, “but it’s not my night tonight. … I [thought] I’m gonna drop him in the second round, too, but it [didn’t] happen.”

Eddie Hearn, Joshua’s career-long promoter, has contractual options on Prenga. Hearn intends to use the 35-year-old puncher again based on how he performed in the most meaningful fight of his career.

“We have options,” Hearn told The Ring. “It’s like a standard deal, but we’ll work with him again. I mean, like he’s made a massive name for himself tonight. So yeah, he’ll be back, I’m sure. He’s a lovely man and got great support and, you know, on we go.”